


The Houseboy

by orphan_account



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Sex, Angst, Frottage, Humor, M/M, Past Character Death, Seduction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-15
Updated: 2013-05-15
Packaged: 2017-12-11 15:04:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/800058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin has to find out Arthur Pendragon's deepest, darkest secret. It's a lot harder than it should be.<br/>(Pun completely intended.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Houseboy

**Author's Note:**

> [Important notes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houseboy) about what a houseboy is if you don't know.

“Everyone has secrets. It’s just a matter of finding out what they are.” - Lisbeth Salander, _The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo_

 

Merlin thought it was a little weird at first, and definitely illegal, but when Cenred told him he would comply or risk losing his job, Merlin gave in and said he’d do it.

That was before he knew exactly what he was getting into.

Merlin knew being a housecleaner was harder than it sounded. He knew there was more to it than just cleaning the house. Like cooking. But it also required putting up with the employer. In fact the majority of the job required that.

Arthur Pendragon was the new chief executive of Pendragon Publishing after his father died. He’d been simply a twenty-something year old cover artist that had been forced to take over as Uther had left the company to his son. Arthur was completely unfamiliar with the job, but he tried his best, putting his all into it as he did everything else. He was a confident young man, athletically built with handsome features, startling fierce blue eyes, and a wide charming smile. He could be a bit of an arse but he was friendly and had a great sense of humour. He was perfect. In Cenred’s words: “Too fucking perfect.”

As the head of Information Technology at Cenred’s smaller, lesser known, publishing company, Cenred thought it a fitting job for Merlin to go undercover and poke around the young Pendragon’s personal files, maybe plant some nasty viruses, or keyloggers to “help level the playing field.” Merlin was already struggling with living paycheck to paycheck on top of keeping his mother in a home. He didn’t need to find himself suddenly out of a job and on the street.

And Cenred, the manipulating bastard, knew that, had even asked Merlin how his mother was right as Merlin walked into his office that afternoon. What he didn’t know was that all someone needed to do to learn something displeasing about Arthur Pendragon was walk into his disaster of a house.

“ _You’re_ my new housecleaner?” Arthur asked incredulously after keeping Merlin waiting on the doorstep five minutes. “How old are you, fifteen?”

“I—What? No! No, I’m—”

“It doesn’t matter. As long as you’re at least eighteen I don’t care. Come in.”

Arthur looked Merlin over with a disapproving scowl as he crossed the threshold. He looked as if it physically pained him to have to hold the door open for Merlin, like he was inviting a cockroach inside.

Well. Clearly the public hadn’t seen _this_ side of Arthur.

“Do you always dress like that?” Arthur asked as he shut the door.

Merlin glanced down at himself. He found nothing wrong with his black jeans and dark blue jumper. “Like what?”

“Like you went scuba diving at the bottom of your older brother’s closet.”

Merlin had his jaw dropped so long his lips began to chap. At Arthur’s amused smirk he abruptly licked them and closed his mouth, then said accusingly, “My best friend was wearing this when he died in an auto accident, you prat. It’s the last thing I have left of him besides the memories which are sure to fade.”

It was Arthur’s turn to gape. He stared blankly at Merlin’s serious face, not sure what to do or say. Then Merlin started laughing and he punched him on the shoulder.

“Oi!” Merlin whined, rubbing his arm. “Have a sense of humour, will ya?”

“That’s some twisted sense of humour you have.”

“Doesn’t mean you have to assault me for it,” Merlin muttered. Arthur glared at him like he wanted to throw a second punch for good measure, and Merlin cautiously stepped back. Finding that in itself a victory, Arthur smirked again and turned to lead Merlin further into the house.

“This is the kitchen,” he announced when they got to the end of the hall and turned to the opening on the left. “But I’m sure even your maladjusted brain knows that’s where the fridge and cooker are.” Merlin rolled his eyes at the back of Arthur’s head. “I’ll give you money at the beginning of each week to buy enough food. Just make whatever you like to eat, I’m not picky.” Which Merlin took to mean he’s very picky indeed.

“Just off the kitchen is the dining room. In here is the living room. I don’t go in here much, only when I have company. You’ll really only need to wipe the dust off things from time to time.

“This is the laundry room, that’s the loo, that’s a closet, there’s a guest bedroom. You can sleep there on the off-chance I have a party and you can’t leave early, but the chances of that happening are slim to none. Now the upstairs.”

Merlin was still trying to process the downstairs. Every room, even the closet, was remarkably large. The ceiling was high and how he was expected to clean the photo frames up on the walls he supposed he’d just have to find out.

The stairs were the most incredible. They rose in a white marble spiral, a glass chandelier sending rainbows of light sparkling from the centre. When they reached the top, Merlin looked down over the railing and appreciated the view.

“You may like it now, but I can assure you once you’ve had to run up it four times a day the novelty wears off.”

Merlin cringed as he imagined having to do just that. Leave it to Arthur to ruin the magic of the moment for him.

“Another toilet in here,” Arthur carried on, “with a shower-bath. Second guest bedroom down this hall on the right.” They walked further down the corridor. “My study on left. Only go in there if I’m not, and that’s if I haven’t locked it.”

They turned around and Arthur shuffled past Merlin to retake the front, then went to the opposite hall. “This is—was—my father’s bedroom. Things are still being moved out and put into storage or sold or auctioned off. Stay out of the movers’ way until they’re done and clean up whatever mess they make.”

Merlin searched for any signs of grievance in Arthur’s face and tone but there was none. He was either good at faking nonchalance or the father-son relationship had really been that bad. Arthur waved for him to follow when he started lagging behind.

“And finally, my room. Do not, under _any_ circumstances, go in there. Ever.” Arthur pointed a straight finger in Merlin’s face and stared significantly at him.

“Yes, _sir_ ,” Merlin said with sarcastic seriousness.

“I’m not joking.”

Merlin sobered his expression. “I know. Neither am I. I won’t go in your room. Promise. This is me completely and totally respecting your privacy,” Merlin pledged with his hands up defensively.

“Good.” Arthur forced a smile. “Now that we have an understanding, I’m Arthur.” He stuck his hand out and Merlin shook it.

“Merlin.”

“Great. I’ll need you to leave your mobile number and home address for emergencies at some point, but for now why don’t you go wash the dishes, Merlin?”

“Um...”

“I mean, go wash the dishes, Merlin. Now.”

“Right. Yes. Okay. I’ll just—” Merlin spun on his heel and made for the stairs. He nearly tripped, and by some miracle, managed to right himself before continuing his mad dash downward.

*

Besides being a total prat, Arthur was actually a decent employer. Merlin could come and go as he pleased, as long as he had breakfast ready in the morning, dinner in the evening, and the house cleaned by the end of the day.

Arthur was a very private person. When he got home after work each day, he changed into more comfortable clothes and went straight to his study. At around 7:30 he came down for dinner, then returned to whatever he did in his study. He expected Merlin to be in the house no earlier than 8 in the morning and no later than 9 at night.

Which would have been perfect for Merlin if he really was a civil servant and not after Arthur’s deepest, darkest secrets.

It would have been no problem for Merlin to simply walk into Arthur’s room or his study while he was at work, but Arthur kept those doors locked, and Merlin was a hacker, not a professional burglar. He could crack codes, not pick locks. If only Arthur had installed some high-tech security system and didn’t rely on old-fashioned keys.

It didn’t help that Cenred expected Merlin to ring daily and report on his progress.

“I’m trying, sir, honestly. It’s just that he spends all his time in his study and he’s told me not to go in there and he keeps it locked, so—”

“So try harder, Emrys. I can’t keep being patient when the opportunity is so perfect. Serve him more wine than usual at dinner or something. Get creative.”

“But I’m not creative, sir, my brain is wired for logic, not—”

Cenred growled on the other end and even over the phone it made Merlin shudder. “Then approach this like one of your bloody logic puzzles. Problem solve. I don’t care how you do it, just do it quick.”

That was after three weeks of working for Arthur. Merlin was just about to give up hope and begin packing his belongings when one night at the end of Merlin’s first month, Arthur went on a date.

It started out as normal a day as any. Merlin cooked him breakfast, laundered the clothes, dusted the furniture, cleaned the floor, washed the dishes, and again mourned his inability to pick locks.

Then Arthur did something Merlin had never seen him do before. At 6:13 he left, wearing a dark blue and white striped shirt with a collar and jeans. He looked _good_ , even if it was casual and Merlin just gaped from the kitchen as he walked past.

“Will you be back for dinner?” Merlin asked right when Arthur began turning the doorknob.

“What does it look like, Merlin? I’ll be eating out tonight,” he replied over his shoulder. “Go home early if you like. I won’t be needing you until tomorrow around noon.” Tomorrow was Saturday.

“Um, alright.” Arthur didn’t wait for Merlin’s response, just left.

 _Well that’s new_ , Merlin thought, returning to the kitchen to turn the cooker off. _Wait. That’s_ new. _Should I follow him or...?_

Merlin didn’t let himself think past “or.” This was the first change in behaviour Arthur displayed in literally weeks and he’d be a fool not to see this through to the end. At least that’s what Cenred would say were he there to express his unwanted opinion.

So Merlin quickly checked his pocket to make sure his keys were still there and hurried out the door just as Arthur’s fancy car disappeared around the corner.

He followed Arthur at a safe distance to a flat. The girl that scurried down the stairs to meet him had hair even more startlingly blond than Arthur and wore a pink _plaid_ dress so short and so tight Merlin wondered how she breathed. She also had on thin, tall heels that severely hindered her ability to walk, let alone scurry.

Arthur got out and walked around to open her door. She smiled brightly at him and Merlin could see why Arthur would be attracted to her. She dressed like a whore but she was a child at heart. She obviously liked to have fun and enjoyed laughing.

Merlin hated her already. As she stepped up to get in the car, she kissed Arthur on the cheek. Arthur smiled and closed the door once her legs were safely inside but he wiped the kiss off and frowned as he walked around the back towards the driver seat. That was...odd.

They went to a restaurant next, some posh place with a French name, but informal enough that Arthur could get away with wearing jeans. The girl was literally _on his arm_ as they walked in and looked just as excited then as she was when Arthur picked her up. She didn’t seem childlike anymore. She seemed like a fucking puppy.

Merlin didn’t stay long, mostly because he couldn’t see them from the outside anyway, and went back to Arthur’s. He checked Arthur’s study to see if it was locked or if he had forgotten it on his way out. It was still locked.

Not expecting much, Merlin tested the knob to Arthur’s bedroom. The door swung open with surprising ease.

Merlin’s heart skipped and he stepped into the room without a second thought, then laughed quietly. “This is me completely and totally respecting your privacy,” he echoed his earlier words.

Unlike Merlin’s own room, Arthur’s wasn’t untidy. The bed was unmade because the man was physically incapable of doing anything himself, but the floor was clear. There was a dresser in front of the window and a desk on the right, a walk-in wardrobe on the left, and a large bed straight ahead.

What really struck Merlin were the walls. Arthur had drawn _all over_ the walls. Some of the drawings looked to go as far back as when Arthur was in primary school, mere stick figures acting out scenes. Others were so skillfully detailed Merlin wished he could capture it with a camera. They were done in colour pencils, ink, black marker, chalk, any writing utensil save crayons and regular pencil.

Some of the art was just geometric designs, patterns that sometimes wrapped around nearly the whole room in a complete circuit. Some of it was abstract, most of which was done in pen, and Merlin could tell Arthur had probably been intoxicated or under some influence when he’d done those.

Merlin had known Arthur worked as a cover artist, but he had no idea about how passionate the man was. Arthur never spoke of what he did at work, and whenever Merlin tried to ask he’d just start complaining about the people and how they expected him to be exactly like his father. Then he’d continue to tell Merlin how rubbish he was at being a housecleaner because it wasn’t his job to ask nosy questions, it was his job to tidy up.

Merlin walked over to the desk. If there was anything incriminating in this room, it’d be there. He shuffled the papers littered across the top, scanning each briefly before setting it aside. It all seemed to be innocent enough: unfinished covers and more abstract geometric patterns. He started going through the drawers, which proved to be much of the same.

Of course. Anything work related Arthur probably kept in the study. Merlin almost didn’t check the last drawer at the bottom, but he figured he might as well...

Huh. This wasn’t like the others. There was a stack of notebooks, labeled with start and end dates. The notebook on top started on the twelfth of July and didn’t have an end date written in yet. Whatever was in these, this one must be the most current.

Merlin opened to the first page and the title made his heart jump in his chest again.

DREAM JOURNAL.

He snapped it closed. This was too much. Merlin was fine with exposing something like a foot fetish or crossdressing or hell, even something like enjoying _baking_. But you didn’t go traipsing around in someone’s _dreams_. Dreams tell people things that they themselves sometimes don’t want to hear. Looking through a dream journal would be _wrong._

...But when was the next time Merlin would ever have a chance like this again? And he had to report something of value to his impatient employer.

Sighing, Merlin opened right to the middle. The left page was blank except for the date right in the centre: sixth of November. Two days ago. The right page held that night’s dream.

Merlin laughed at first. There was a wrinkled old witch stirring a bubbling cauldron, a wicked grin on her face. Her eyes were hidden by the wide brim of the black, pointy hat she wore, but her hooked nose stuck out. It was every bit the stereotypical witch everybody had seen.

However, when Merlin looked closer, he could make out some of the ingredients whirling around in her cauldron, and he frowned.

There was Arthur, looking like he was drowning, gasping for breath with wild eyes and his arms clutching at nothing above his head. Beside him were books, hair brushes, cups of tea. There were even tentacles visible, part of some larger monster at the bottom of the pot that wanted to make sure Arthur died.

Scattered about the feet of the cauldron were things Arthur obviously held dear. A painting palette, a bottle of wine, a sixteenth note.

 _What sort of music does he like?_ Merlin wondered upon seeing the note.

At the bottom of the page, in bold cursive, Arthur had written: “ _Cruel to be kind, my son.”_

Merlin furrowed his brow and turned the page. There was nothing much for last night’s dream, only two large eyes in the middle of the page. Arthur had filled in the irises with blue ink and the eyelashes in black. The brows were pushed together and made worry lines between them. Merlin couldn’t tell what expression it was supposed to be because the rest of the face was missing, but whatever it was, it was intense.

It was a good thing that was the end of it so far because just then Merlin heard the door opening downstairs. He hurried to return the notebooks to their drawer and dashed out of the room, making sure to completely shut the door behind him.

Luckily that whore—Arthur’s date—had the loudest, most obnoxious laugh in the world, and disguised Merlin’s heavy footsteps. Merlin disappeared to the first place available, which happened to be the loo.

Thank goodness Merlin hadn’t gotten around to actually cleaning it. The cleaning supplies were still in there and he had a good excuse for not having left yet. He rolled up his sleeves and set to work, trying to make it look like he’d been scrubbing the toilet for hours.

It was a bit ridiculous at first, especially since he could hear them talking downstairs. He discovered her name was Elena, and she used to be in a band in college, but they got split up when they all went off to university. She tried singing some of the lyrics that she could remember and Merlin thought for sure his ears would start bleeding. He felt horrible for Arthur, who had to be sitting right next to her on the sofa.

“I know I’m terrible,” she said, giggling. She’d obviously had wine at dinner and again when they’d got back. “Don’t worry, I wasn’t the singer. I played the guitar. I _rocked_.”

“Whoa,” Merlin heard Arthur said nervously. He rolled his eyes at the image of Elena touching Arthur in some inappropriate place as he began scrubbing the toilet seat with far too much force than necessary.

She giggled again and this time it ended with a snort. A fucking snort! “Doesn’t Little Arthur need some attention too?”

 _Oh my god, she nicknamed his penis_ , Merlin thought, stifling a snort of his own. _That is just...something you do not do._

“Um...No, thanks, I think he’s good,” Arthur replied even more nervously.

“I think you’re just being coy.” _Who the fuck says “coy?” Guys aren’t coy, girls are coy._ “Why else would you bring me back to your amazing house and not take me home?”

“Because I was supposed to?”

Immediately her tone changed, and it lashed out like a whip. “What the hell does that mean? ‘You were supposed to?’ Is this some kind of—”

 _Thank god she shut up_. Then Merlin frowned. To get that kind of effect Arthur had probably...

But what does Merlin care if he kissed her? He was just the sodding housecleaner, and he wasn’t even truly that. He was only there to get any secrets worth exposing to bring down the company.

The next time Elena spoke it was in reply to Arthur’s, “Bedroom?”

“Yeah,” she said, breathless.

Merlin closed the door and waited for their footsteps on the staircase. They never came. Instead, he heard a door shut downstairs and realised that Arthur had taken her to a guest bedroom.

Flushing the toilet, Merlin thought that made sense. Now that he knew what Arthur’s room looked like, he could understand why Arthur would be hesitant to let people see it. It was a bit jarring at first.

Merlin put the supplies away in the cabinet and tiptoed down the stairs. He was just about to turn the corner when he heard Arthur whisper:

“You can do this, Pendragon. Just...go for it.”

“Arthur!” Elena called from behind the closed door.

“I’ll be right in!” Arthur called back.

Merlin was frozen to his spot, waiting for Arthur to enter so he could slip out. He felt a sneeze build up, no doubt from being on the floor close to the toilet—he never dusted behind the toilet—and he pinched his nose to try to stop it.

It didn’t work.

Arthur turned the corner and grabbed Merlin by the collar. “What are you doing here? How long have you been here?”

“I-I never left. I only meant to close my eyes for a minute,” Merlin explained in a rushed whisper. “And it got late and I was about to leave when I remembered I hadn’t cleaned the loo, so...Then you came in with her and I didn’t think you’d want her to see me so I sort of just stayed upstairs and—”

“Alright, alright, stop babbling,” Arthur shushed him. “Just get out of my house.” He let Merlin go and Merlin hastened to do just that.

“Wait,” Arthur stopped him. He looked as if contemplating something life-changing. “Are you...any good with girls, by any chance?” He scratched the back of his head and wouldn’t look Merlin in the eye directly.

Merlin held back a laugh. “Er, not really. I’m not really interested in women that way. But it sounded to me like you were doing everything right. She’s just doing everything _wrong_.”

Arthur swallowed hard. “Oh,” he said weakly. “You’re not...you mean you’re...?”

“Gay.” Merlin nodded. “That’s not a problem, is it?”

“No. No, just...”

“Just what?”

Arthur finally raised his eyes to Merlin’s. “I would have expected better fashion sense, that’s all,” he said defiantly.

Merlin snorted. “Of course. Sorry we can’t all be fabulous. I’ll see you at noon. Goodbye, Arthur.”

Merlin closed the door behind him just as Elena shouted, “Arthur, get in here!”

*

Merlin let himself into the house at 12:01. He went straight to the kitchen to get to work and stopped dead in his tracks.

There was. The blonde. Sitting at the worktop. Wearing Arthur’s shirt and nothing else.

Merlin swallowed and continued walking. He rolled up his sleeves and started unloading the dishwasher.

“Hello,” he said cheerily over his shoulder.

“Morning,” she replied with a mouthful of cereal.

 _Afternoon, actually_ , Merlin thought. He said nothing as he went about putting dishes away in their proper places.

“So what’s your name?” Elena asked after taking a sip of orange juice and swirling her spoon in her bowl.

“Merlin. Yours?”

“Elena. I’m Arthur’s girlfriend.”

Merlin wanted to ask if Arthur knew that, but held his tongue. “That’s wonderful,” he said instead. “You’re very pretty.”

“Aww, thank you!” She twirled her hair around her finger and Merlin was tempted to take it back. “So you’re the help?”

Merlin put the last plate away and began rinsing the dishes in the sink. “Yep,” he sighed. “I’m the help.”

“How long have you worked for Arthur?”

“Just over a month. Fairly new.”

“What did you do before you came here?”

Merlin glanced over his shoulder. Her eyes were wide and curious. “Why so many questions?” he asked with an amused smile.

She shrugged her shoulders and returned to her bowl and cereal. “Just wondering. Never seen a helper person that looked so...normal.”

Merlin chuckled and only rolled his eyes when he’d turned back around. Helper person. Christ.

“I think you’re thinking of a butler. I’m just somebody that comes in, tidies up, cooks him meals and things. And thank god, because I don’t own a suit fancy enough worthy of butler status.”

“I bet you’d look good in a suit though.”

“Um...”

“With a little bow tie and everything! You’d look just adorable.”

“Thank...you?”

Elena got up and put her bowl next to the sink. She downed the rest of her orange juice then licked her lips clean with a smack as she set the glass down as well.

Merlin picked up her dishes and rinsed them. He turned to place them in the dishwasher and found Elena was still standing there blocking his way.

“Er, was there anything you wanted?” he asked uncertainly. She was frowning at him like he’d done something wrong.

She shook her head but didn’t move from her spot, just raised her arms and stretched them about her head, yawning in the process. It made Arthur’s shirt (which was like a short dress on her, and still longer than the one she wore out last night) raise up a few inches and show more of her thighs.

“Do you need more rest? I’m sure Arthur won’t mind if you go back to sleep, seeing as he’s not up yet.”

She let out a frustrated sigh. “What is wrong with you? Why aren’t you looking at me?”

“What are you talking about? I’m looking at you right now!” What stupid game was she playing? Merlin didn’t have time for this. “Look, Elena, could you please step, like, two feet to the right? You’re kind of in my way.”

“That’s the point, you jolthead!”

“ _Jolthead_? Did you really just—” Merlin didn’t get to finish asking because Elena decided that moment was the perfect time to lift up the only garment she was wearing and hold it up to her chin for a solid four seconds.

“Did you just _flash_ me?” Merlin asked, incredulous and a bit angry. “And oh my god you aren’t even wearing underpants! You were just sitting on that stool without any _pants_ on? I have to wash that stool, you know! What’s a jolthead, anyway? Nevermind, I don’t wanna know. Just— _move_.”

Merlin picked her up by the waist, turned on his heels, and set her down. He turned back around and finally started putting the dishes away.

“Hey! Hey, you can’t just....womanhandle me like that,” she protested.

“Please just leave me alone,” Merlin muttered.

She crossed her arms and pouted her lips. “Not until you tell me why you won’t look at me. _Really_ look at me.”

“Oh my god. There is no way you are this incompetent,” Merlin replied, shaking his head and laughing humourlessly. He spun around and looked her in the eye. “ _I’m gay, you stupid bitch.”_

Elena gasped and left her mouth hanging open so long Merlin wondered if she knew how to close it. Then she fucking _slapped_ him and turned around so quick her hair slapped his face as well. She humphed and stormed off, probably to tell Arthur his helper person was being a big bully.

Merlin touched his cheek gingerly. It stung. She had long, claw-like nails that left three short lines of blood right across his cheekbone.

“Bitch,” Merlin repeated to the empty kitchen.

He heard Elena shouting at Arthur down the hall in the guest bedroom. “Arthur, he called me stupid! And he said I was a bitch. A stupid bitch, Arthur!” Merlin couldn’t hear Arthur’s reply. “But...No, but that’s...Well, aren’t you going to _do_ something?”

Merlin finished loading the dishwasher and began to make lunch. He wasn’t sure if Arthur would want something heavy or if he had a hangover and would want something light. He decided to play it safe and go with soup.

He’d just poured the soup into a pot and turned the cooker on when he heard heavy footsteps walk slowly into the room. He glanced over his shoulder at a bed-headed Arthur wiping the sleep from his eyes.

“Afternoon, Arthur.”

Arthur just sighed. “Merlin. Did you really call her a stupid bitch?”

“Yes,” Merlin replied without missing a beat. He stirred the soup as it started to heat up.

“Wow. I didn’t think you’d have it in you.”

Was that...admiration? “She was testing my patience,” Merlin shrugged.

“What’d she do?”

Merlin stopped and sighed, but didn’t turn around. “Arthur, do you like this girl? Really, really like her?”

“Uh...I’m not sure yet.”

“Because if you have this perfect image of her, I don’t wanna be the one to shatter that.”

“Is there something wrong with her?”

“Besides the obvious?”

“What’s the obvious, again?”

“For Christ’s sake, Arthur!” Merlin gave up, spinning around. “For one thing, she nicknamed your dick. For another, she has the IQ of, literally, a banana. And I’m pretty sure I’ll have to wash that stool with bleach just so it doesn’t smell like vagina,” Merlin said, pointing at the guilty stool.

“She hit you.”

“ _And_ she hit me!” Merlin finished, throwing his arms up in defeat.

“No, I mean. Merlin, you’re actually bleeding.” Arthur stepped closer but Merlin stopped him with a hand.

“I know I’m bleeding, Arthur. It’s not like I’m going to die any time soon.”

Arthur clenched his jaw and spun around to walk back to the bedroom. Merlin waited anxiously to hear what would happen next. He was just about to check the soup when he heard Elena shrieking, “Hey!”

He couldn’t make out what Arthur said but the tone came through clearly. It was low and threatening and Elena stopped struggling immediately.

When next Arthur walked in the kitchen it was with an angry Elena in tow, clad in her own plaid dress from the night before albeit a bit wrinkled, heels dangling from her hand. Arthur had a strong hand around her arm and yanked her forward.

“Merlin, Elena would like you to apologise,” Arthur said firmly.

Merlin almost laughed. What was this, primary school? He went along with it anyway. “Sorry for calling you a stupid bitch, Elena.”

“Elena?” Arthur looked at her sternly.

She grumbled at first, but finally said, “Sorry for slapping you.”

“If you attack my houseboy again, I’ll call the police. Now leave.” He let go of her arm and she shoved Arthur away from her.

“No need to worry about that. I never want to see you again, Arthur Pendragon. You weren’t that good anyway,” she spat. “And you,” she turned on Merlin, “you’re just jealous. I can see it in your eyes. Well, don’t worry, because you’re not missing much. He may have a big cock but he doesn’t know how to use it.”

Arthur nearly exploded. He lunged at her and narrowly missed her throat as she flinched away from him. He chased her, screaming, out of the house.

Merlin stood in shock until he heard the soup boiling behind him. He quickly turned to the cooker and cut the heat off, then moved the pot to another burner.

Arthur cleared his throat as he sat down at the worktop, not at the stool she had been sitting at, thankfully.

“Sorry about her,” he said as Merlin spooned ladlefuls of soup into a bowl.

“S’okay,” Merlin replied easily. He placed the steaming bowl in front of Arthur, then turned to get a spoon. “She _was_ a bitch though.” Arthur laughed. “Not to mention she tried to force herself on me.”

Arthur gaped and Merlin found it so comical he got a spoonful of soup and put it in Arthur’s open mouth. Arthur automatically closed his mouth around it and swallowed before he realised what he’d just done. He didn’t look angry or confused, just surprised.

Merlin, on the other hand, was mortified. It had seemed like such a natural thing to simply lift the spoon and feed Arthur, especially with his mouth open like that. But this was _Arthur_ , his fake-employer, not his friend. They insulted each other, they rolled their eyes whenever one said something utterly ridiculous, they did _not_ feed each other.

“Uh...”

“What did she do?” Arthur asked before Merlin could make it more awkward than it already was. He took the spoon from Merlin and dug into the soup himself. Already it seemed as though the moment never happened.

“Elena?”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “Who else?”

“She flashed me.”

Arthur raised his eyebrows. “Wow.”

“She was rather disappointed when it didn’t have the effect she wanted.”

“I’m glad you didn’t tell me sooner. I might have actually strangled her.”

Merlin chuckled. “You came pretty close.”

Arthur shrugged and ate another spoonful. “She insulted me. And if there’s one thing I pride myself on, it’s my sexual prowess.”

Merlin couldn’t help but laugh hysterically at that. “I would’ve thought it was your art. But no, that makes much more sense.”

Arthur frowned. “What would you know about my art, Merlin?”

The smile froze on Merlin’s face. There was no way Arthur knew he’d been in his room the day before.

“You’re a cover artist, aren’t you?”

“Did I ever tell you that? I honestly can’t remember.”

“You did.”

“Oh.” Another bite. “Well, my art isn’t anything to be proud of. Cover art isn’t exactly about creating masterpieces.”

“I’m sure you’re more talented than you give yourself credit for. Artists are always like that.”

Arthur quirked a brow and smirked. “Was that a compliment, Merlin?”

Merlin rolled his eyes. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

Before Merlin could dig himself into any more holes, he went back to the pot. Arthur stopped him. “Is there any more left?”

Merlin stirred the remaining soup with the ladle. “Yeah. Want some?”

“Why don’t you have some? If you’re hungry, I mean.”

He had to look over his shoulder to see if Arthur was serious, but Arthur was staring down into his bowl as he shoveled bite after bite into his mouth.

“Oh. Yeah, thanks.”

Merlin got a bowl for himself and sat two stools over from Arthur, avoiding the one Elena ruined.

Arthur finished and got up to put his bowl in the sink. Merlin could physically see the moment Arthur went back to his normal, prattish self.

“Finish cleaning the upstairs loo today. You’ll also need to tidy the guest bedroom down here and the living room. And if you think you can handle it, I would like to be able to use that stool again.”

Merlin huffed. “I’m sure it won’t kill me, _sir_.”

Arthur smiled softly at the sarcastic title. “Speaking of things that won’t kill you, do try to clean that wound on your cheek when you get the chance. There’s a first aid kit in the cupboard upstairs.” He left and Merlin listened to his footsteps on the stairs.

*

Merlin wiped down the stool first. Then he moved to changing the bedding in the guest room and while those were in the wash, he tidied up the living room. He didn’t get around to actually tending to the scratches on his face until he went up to finish cleaning the loo.

The first aid kit was behind the mirror. He took out a cotton ball and dabbed at his cheek with a bit of alcohol. He inhaled through his teeth when it stung.

“There’s healing cream in there too.”

Merlin jumped at Arthur’s voice. “Shit, Arthur! Don’t just creep up on me like that.”

“I did not ‘creep up on you.’ You just didn’t hear my footsteps.” He stepped into the room and rummaged through the contents of the first aid container. “Here, turn towards me.”

Merlin lowered the soaked cotton ball from his face and turned to face Arthur. Arthur slowly raised his hand and began applying a smooth ointment with the tip of his forefinger, holding Merlin’s chin with his other hand.

“Don’t move,” he said tersely when Merlin fidgeted.

“Sorry.”

Arthur’s hand was steady and sure in its application, an artist’s hand. He was careful of getting too close to Merlin’s eye and smoothed the cream in circles across the wound.

“There,” Arthur declared in a rough voice. He stepped back a respectful distance.

“I could’ve done it myself,” Merlin said, leaning toward the mirror to see Arthur’s work.

“You would have used the wrong product and poked yourself in the eye, no doubt. I could tell just from the way you almost gouged yourself with that ball of cotton,” Arthur teased.

“I did _not_ and I _would not_ have!”

“Luckily, we’ll never have to find out. I saved you the trouble.” He regarded his fingernail boredly and sighed in his posh, privileged way. “Get back to work, Merlin.”

Merlin finished with the loo in a rushed manner. It was one thing to have to deal with crazy maybe-girlfriend-maybe-one-night-stands and a seemingly bipolar Arthur Pendragon in one day and another thing to have to endure just normal arrogant Arthur. Merlin wanted to go home and treat himself to some ice cream and mindless daytime telly.

He planned to do just that. It was nearly two in the afternoon and he didn’t have to be back to serve Arthur dinner until seven thirty. He walked to the study to tell Arthur he was leaving. When he knocked however, the door swung open from the force.

Merlin’s heart jumped to his throat and he stood frozen in place. Then his inner Cenred told him _Move, idiot! There isn’t much time!_

So he did. He stepped in and closed the door softly behind him, then looked around for any technology he could get into.

The left wall was a bookcase. Nothing of interest there. The right wall had various frames boasting Uther’s degrees and achievements. One of them was actually Arthur’s university diploma. That side of the room also held a small loveseat and a lamp.

Straight ahead was a bay window with an easel nearby. Merlin figured this was probably a recent addition to the room after Uther died and Arthur made it his own. The canvas was blank now but there were a few completed pieces stacked vertically against the window seat.

Merlin made for those. He told himself maybe Arthur liked to draw weird, illegal things, like children being fucked by old, hairy men. He told himself that, but he didn’t believe it for a second. Something just drew him in.

He picked up the first canvas and turned it toward him. It was...beautiful. It was a nighttime scene of a cobbled street, twinkling lights lined down the side. People with umbrellas walked leisurely in the rain and the lights were reflected in the windshields of cars parked on the street. In the background a triangle of lights rose higher than anything else, half hidden between leafy green trees. Merlin recognised it as the Eiffel Tower.

He had a sudden urge to hold the frame to his chest and love it. He wanted to be in the painting, wanted to be walking in the rainy street in Paris, not caring if his clothes got soaked. It was such a peaceful, perfect scene that tugged at Merlin’s heart.

He set it down and picked up another. This one took his breath away.

It was the soul piercing eyes from Arthur’s dream journal, only made larger and more intense on the canvas. The colours were deeper, the blue irises an electrical fire, the black lashes dark as an abyss. But there was a head surrounding them now; a shock of black, windswept hair and the tops of ears. The face was cut off by the bottom of the canvas, so that just the top half was visible and that’s all Arthur had painted. The background was a deep lavender with trails of what looked like white smoke.

The wrinkles between the brow, the detail in the hair, and the lines around the eyes...It was frightening how intense that stare was, even more so because it faintly resembled...

Merlin’s hands clutched the wooden frame. This was not—couldn’t be—but it had to be. This was him! These were _his_ eyes staring back at him, _his_ messy black hair, _his_ large ears sticking out. On second thought, there was no way it _wasn’t_ him. Arthur had dreamed this and had painted it!

Merlin’s heart thudded so fast and so hard he could hear his pulse in his ears. He set the canvas back in its proper place with trembling hands and resumed his search. He tried not to think about why Arthur would dream of him.

Against the wall with the door was the desk. There was a small desk lamp and a closed laptop on the polished wood. Like in Arthur’s room, various papers were scattered about, but these looked significantly more work-related.

Merlin didn’t give the papers a second glance. He fished around in his pocket for his memory stick— _Always pays to be prepared_ —and inserted it in the laptop before booting it up. The program on his device started up simultaneously and he was able to tap into Arthur’s personal accounts with ease.

_Email, check. Now let’s see if he clears his internet history..._

He didn’t. Merlin scrolled through the list of visited sites boredly. Most of them were Google searches like “how to make women happy,” “how to make women like me,” and Merlin could hardly contain himself from laughing when he saw “how to please women during sex.”

But then.

Then he saw something that was not humourous in the slightest: _“gay bdsm porn.”_

Merlin was torn between slamming the laptop shut and continuing to scroll down. He had what he needed: Arthur Pendragon, son of illustrious Uther Pendragon, gets off on gay BDSM. He could technically walk away and never come back to witness the shambles he’d make of Arthur’s life. All he had to do was print the internet history file.

It was too much. This whole day was too fucking much. Crazy girlfriends, bipolar Arthur, finding out Arthur dreamed about his _eyes_ , and now this.

Merlin gave up. He copied the file to his memory stick and shut the laptop down before leaving. He wouldn’t do anything with the information yet. He’d just...hold onto it, for now. He needed time to think, time to process everything.

And he was going to start by eating a big bowl of fucking ice cream.

Since Arthur hadn’t been in the study, the next logical place was his room. Merlin tapped on the door, but Arthur didn’t answer. Maybe he wasn’t supposed to even do that? Arthur had said “Don’t ever go in my room,” but he said nothing about knocking or talking through the crack.

“Arthur?” Merlin knocked again. Still nothing. He frowned. “Arthur?”

Determined to leave as soon as possible, Merlin tested the knob. It turned easily and he stuck his head in.

“Arthur?” he said again. Arthur was currently laid on his back on the floor, drawing something on the wall behind him upside down. Merlin noticed he had headphones on. “Arthur!” he shouted.

Arthur’s head snapped up at the sound of his name and he pulled the headphones off. “What did I say about coming in here?!” He got to his feet and started making for the door. Merlin shuffled back into the corridor.

“Sorry!” he said as Arthur stepped out and shut the door behind him. “You said I couldn’t go in, but I didn’t. Go in, I mean. I just...knocked and poked my head in?”

Arthur fumed. He knew he’d been bested but dammit if he was going to admit that. “What did you want then? You better have a damn good reason too.”

“I...” Shit. He couldn’t ask to leave now. Not with Arthur demanding a good reason.

“You what?”

“I-I noticed the study door was ajar. Did you want me to clean in there now that you’ve unlocked it?”

Arthur contemplated a moment, grinding his teeth. “Fine. I don’t see why not. But don’t touch the canvasses and bring me my laptop.” He turned to go back to his room but stopped. “Actually, nevermind. You’ll probably just break it. I’ll get it myself.”

Merlin huffed and followed Arthur to the study he’d just left. So much for curling up with ice cream and daytime telly. “I’m not _ac_ tually mentally challenged, you know. I know how to handle expensive equipment.”

Arthur snorted. “Doubtful. You’re all gangly limbs and bones. It’s a wonder that slap to the face didn’t shatter your cheek instead of just scratching it.”

“I’m a lot sturdier than I look!”

“Clearly.”

Arthur unplugged his laptop from the wall socket and picked up the device, cords and all. He regarded the papers spread across the desk thoughtfully.

“I don’t even know which are important and which can be tossed out,” he muttered to himself dejectedly. He pursed his lips and considered a moment longer, then squared his shoulders as he decided on a course of action. “Right. Just stack them in a neat pile. And don’t touch those canvasses,” he added sternly.

“Yes, sir.”

Merlin waited until he heard Arthur’s door close to sink onto the loveseat with a sigh. All he wanted was some ice cream.

*

“No, sir, I didn’t find anything today either,” Merlin reported to Cenred later that night. “I was able to gain access to his study but he’d locked his computer with him in his room.”

“Again with the locks,” Cenred spat. “Do I have to hire someone else to come help you during the day? I’m sure there are plenty of criminals looking for work, and a simple lock would be no problem—”

“N-No, sir, I’ve got this. It’s only a matter of time. I’m sure there’s something...”

“‘A matter of time, a matter of time.’ The trouble is Merlin, I haven’t got time. I need results _now_.”

“I understand, sir, really.” An idea struck Merlin suddenly. “Oh, there is one thing. When I was cleaning out the study.”

“Well, out with it.”

“The old documents? He didn’t seem to know what to do with them. I think, maybe...well, perhaps he’s a bit rubbish at the whole CEO thing. From what I could tell he’s mainly only interested in being an artist.”

“It doesn’t matter what he’s interested in, it matters what he’s _doing_.”

“Yes, yes I know, sir, but what I’m trying to say is, if he’s terrible at it, perhaps we need only wait until he messes up himself? I mean, if he didn’t even know which documents were important to keep, he probably doesn’t know a lot of things about running a business. And he _is_ just a cover artist. Or he was.”

Cenred was silent on the other end for a while and the only reason Merlin didn’t think he’d hung up was because his phone didn’t start beeping angrily at him.

Finally, Cenred said, “Hmm. Perhaps you’re onto something. Keep working on digging something up and in the meanwhile I’ll keep an eye on his company’s stats. If the numbers drop, he may fall down on himself. But you will have to find something, Merlin. You’ve only bought yourself a little more time.”

“Yes, sir,” Merlin replied, but Cenred had already disconnected.

*

A week passed and Merlin still didn’t know what to do with the file on his memory stick. It could literally make or break Arthur, and holding someone’s entire life in his hands was frightening. He wished he was rid of the responsibility completely but Cenred had picked him because of his hacking skills and because of his mother’s situation. There was no way out.

On Friday Arthur told Merlin he’d be having company again and not to make dinner.

“And Merlin,” he added with a meaningful stare. “Don’t be here when I get back.”

“Right,” Merlin chuckled. “I’m not exactly keen on a repeat of last weekend either.”

“Excellent. I’ll try to have her gone by noon this time.”

“I don’t ask much, but please, for heaven’s sake, _do_.”

Arthur actually cracked a smile as he finished his breakfast and left for work. Merlin had no qualms about letting Arthur go about his date in peace because he already had the worst secret the man could possibly hold.

However, when Merlin drove up to Arthur’s house the next day, a drab grey car was parked out front. He frowned and parked beside it. He looked at his watch. It was 11:56.

As soon as Merlin opened the front door he knew something was different. There were weird noises coming from the kitchen. Merlin walked quietly down the corridor and peeked around the corner. He gasped, but it was drowned out by the noise.

Arthur was...Arthur was bent over the worktop but all Merlin could see was the back of his blonde head and his arms out, hands gripping the sides. A larger man with brown, cropped hair, stood behind him, thrusting his hips back and forth. He was naked, just as naked as Arthur, and Merlin could see the muscles in his arse work as he pumped in and out.

And the sound...the sound was coming from Arthur, who was making little “uh-uh-uh” noises in time to the man’s thrusts. “God, fuck, _yes_ , give it to me,” Arthur moaned.

The man only grunted occasionally, but Arthur was... _loud_.

Merlin back-stepped and exited silently then sprinted to his car. He was painfully hard and aching for relief but he had to get out of Arthur’s driveway and fast. He backed up and drove a mile down the street and parked next to a shrub. Then he rummaged through the glove compartment for napkins and had possibly the best wank in his entire life. Arthur’s gasps and moans echoed in his head and he imagined himself being the one to take Arthur over the worktop. He’d figured Arthur was at least bisexual when he found the porn in his internet history, but to actually _see_ him being fucked...Merlin came hard into the napkins and didn’t start his car again until his body stopped shaking.

The clock said 12:07 but Merlin waited and just listened to the radio until 12:13, to be sure. When he saw the grey auto pass, he returned to Arthur’s house.

He hoped he didn’t look too haggard. He knocked hard before putting his key in the lock and entering this time. When he looked into the kitchen, there was no evidence of their tryst. Merlin set to making lunch.

“Afternoon, Merlin,” Arthur greeted him cheerily. He had dressed and didn’t look at all like he’d just been buggered. He went to the fridge and pulled out milk, then poured himself a glass.

“Hello,” Merlin replied. “You seem...chipper today. I take it the date went well? Sorry I’m a bit late.”

Arthur settled on a stool at the worktop. His smile faltered slightly when his arse hit the wood but only for a moment. He looked...really happy. It was weird. And difficult for Merlin not to picture Arthur moaning as he was fucked against this same worktop.

“It’s okay. And yes, actually. This one wasn’t crazy.”

“How was she?”

Arthur got a faraway look in his eyes. “Brilliant.”

Merlin’s chest started to feel heavy. “Oh yeah? Was she smart?”

Arthur came back to the present and folded his hands sheepishly. “I don’t know. But the sex was great.”

“Ah,” Merlin chuckled. “Just a shag then. Did you guys talk at all?”

Arthur seemed to not have heard him, he was so caught up in his thoughts. Then he looked up. “Hmm? Oh. Yeah, some.”

“About...?”

“I honestly can’t remember.”

Merlin chuckled again. “Was the sex that good, then?” Like he really wanted to know. He was becoming somewhat of a masochist, it seemed.

“I’m fairly certain it was the best in my life.”

“Wow.” And because Merlin couldn’t bear to face him while he asked the next part, he turned around to continue preparing the chicken breast. “You’re going to see her again, then?”

“Oh, no. Definitely not.”

Merlin frowned and was tempted to turn back around, but didn’t. “Why not?”

“Because this was just a one time thing. I don’t do relationships. Not with girls like this.”

“Ha. ‘Girls like this?’ What was she, a whore?” As if the last one wasn’t.

“Well, I _did_ pay...” Arthur muttered it and Merlin almost didn’t catch it, but then he did and he spun around so fast the air swept his fringe to the side.

“You _what_? You paid just to have sex with some girl that probably has a dozen STDs? You might as well have used me!”

Arthur choked out a laugh but there was no humour in it. Merlin squeezed his eyes shut and tried to teleport himself a thousand miles away.

“You do realise a very crucial problem with that, don’t you, Merlin?” Arthur said hollowly.

“I’m not a girl. I know. It just—”

“And even if you were, you don’t fancy me. Unless...what Elena said—”

“What? No! It just slipped, okay? I don’t—No!”

Arthur took a sip of milk and somehow managed to smirk with his eyes at the same time. “I wouldn’t blame you if you did. I _am_ rather handsome, I know.”

“Ugh!” Merlin stomped his foot. “That is exactly why I _don’t_ fancy you. You’re arrogant and self-centred and it’s practically your primary goal to make sure every day of my life is unbearable. How could I ever want to be with—” Merlin gestured to Arthur’s body. “— _you_?”

“Well. There’s no need to be rude, Merlin. You could have just said no.”

“Clearly there _was_ a reason to be rude because no just wasn’t good enough for you.”

“Alright, alright, calm down. Don’t be such a girl.”

Merlin huffed and turned around to see to the bird. He chopped it up with unnecessary force.

How dare Arthur be so unforgivably obtuse? And there Merlin was trying to do the man a favour by not bringing up what he’d walked in on _and_ not exposing his weird BDSM kink. So what if Merlin sorta-kinda-maybe-really fancied him? So what if Merlin would happily drown in those blue eyes any day of the week? Arthur certainly didn’t need to know that.

“Ouch!” Merlin screeched.

Arthur stood up so fast the stool nearly toppled over. “What?”

Merlin cradled his hand. “It’s nothing. Just. Shit.”

Arthur was at his side anyways. “ _Mer_ lin,” he groaned at the sight of Merlin’s bleeding finger.

“I said it was nothing!”

“It’s clearly _some_ thing. Here, give me your hand.” Arthur took hold of it before Merlin could give it, and that was assuming he was actually going to give it. “There’s bacteria in raw chicken, you know. This could get infected and you could get salmonella or something and die.”

Merlin rolled his eyes as Arthur washed his hand under the tap. “I think I’ll be fine.”

Arthur pursed his lips like he wanted to argue but said nothing. After he finished cleaning the cut he led Merlin upstairs to poke around in the first aid kit for a plaster.

Merlin sat on the toilet lid and let Arthur fuss over his finger. It was strange and oddly comforting to have Arthur tend to him.

Then Arthur had to ruin it by talking.

“God, can’t you do anything right?”

“I put up with you, don’t I?”

“That’s hardly an achievement.”

“I think it is.”

“Yes, well, you would, wouldn’t you.”

Arthur finished securing the plaster and got up from his kneeling position. “Arthur? Can I ask you something?”

“You just did.” Merlin sighed in exasperation. “Alright, what is it?” Arthur poked him in the ribs.

“Why did you pay to have sex with that girl? I mean, you _are_ handsome, obviously. You could get any girl you want for free.”

Arthur frowned and chewed his lip a moment before continuing. “The trouble is, Merlin, the girl I want may not want me.”

“I don’t think you quite understand. You’re Arthur Pendragon. Who doesn’t want you?”

Arthur started to look annoyed. His expression turned sour, like he couldn’t believe he was even having this conversation. “What would you know? You’re just some bumbling idiot, anyway. Go finish making lunch, and try not to kill yourself.”

Merlin sighed. One of these days he was going to get whiplash if Arthur’s moods kept changing so quickly.

*

More days dragged on. Merlin continued to ask prying questions about Arthur’s job and Arthur continued to answer evasively. He also kept up his strange behaviour, being gentle and almost like he cared one minute and his usual stroppy self the next. Luckily for Merlin he didn’t walk around like he’d just had the best sex of his life, but there were some moments he caught Arthur staring off into space, and he had to wonder.

And he never could look at that worktop without hearing Arthur’s moans echoing in his head.

The end of the week was closing in and Merlin quickly began reassessing his emotional situation. Arthur had been on two dates now and Merlin had suffered through each of them. There was no way he was going to let Arthur have a third.

He was going to seduce Arthur Pendragon. He was going to make the stupid man realise he had a perfectly good thing in front of him, and if Merlin was already maybe a little too emotionally invested, too fucking bad. As far as Merlin could see, his life was fucked either way, and he figured he’d earned a bit of self-indulgence.

The trouble was, Merlin was pants at seduction.

But maybe...maybe he had the beginnings of a plan.

It had to be Thursday, before Arthur could make any of his own arrangements. Friday would be too late. Merlin ransacked his wardrobe for the tightest pair of jeans he owned—that would also fit comfortably—and a fitted shirt. The jeans he found were dark grey and the shirt was a band tee for Pink Floyd.

He considered himself from all angles in his mirror. He knew he didn’t have much in the way of a backside, he really was all skin and bones, but it’s not as if there was nothing to admire. At least he hoped that was the case.

Arthur didn’t immediately notice when Merlin served him breakfast. To be fair, Arthur was tired and probably not paying much attention. That was fine. The real plan didn’t start until this afternoon when Arthur got back.

Merlin made sure he had all his chores done first. There was no way he could yell at Merlin for just hanging about. Merlin plugged his headphones into his mobile and launched the music player. He sat on the kitchen worktop by the window, counting the minutes till Arthur was due to arrive.

Finally, the familiar auto pulled up. Merlin got into his position, leaning over the same worktop Arthur had been fucked on last Saturday. He began humming the tune that was currently playing in his ears and tapping the heel of his foot up and down so the movement just barely affected his arse.

Now came the waiting. To keep it authentic, Merlin really had turned the music up quite loud so he couldn’t hear when Arthur walked in, or when he noticed Merlin with his arse practically on a silver platter.

Two minutes passed, possibly the longest two minutes of Merlin’s life. Then Arthur walked into view, setting his briefcase on the worktop and pulling at his tie. Merlin pulled the headphones out.

“Oh, shit, you’re back.” Merlin fumbled with his mobile. “Sorry I just—”

The cord came unplugged and the lyrics split the quiet of the room. “ _Here’s another song about a gender I’ll never underst—_ ”

Merlin pulled the battery out of his phone and the noise stopped. Arthur was regarding him with The Eyebrow. “Sorry. I finished everything. Thought I’d listen to music while I waited?”

“Really? Everything?”

“You don’t believe me.” It wasn’t a question. “Well, I did! Go check if you like.”

“Fine. Whatever. I believe you.” Arthur undid the top two buttons of his shirt and his tie hung loosely around his neck. “What’s for dinner?”

Merlin gave a sheepish grin. “About that...”

“So you manage to get everything done and then you botch up dinner. Great.”

“We may have possibly ran out of meat. We have sides but...”

“So takeaway then.”

Merlin smiled apologetically again. “Sorry. I’ll buy some more tomorrow.”

“You better.”

Merlin ordered a pizza. Arthur didn’t like Indian or even Chinese like normal people did, claiming it made him sick. Merlin just thought it was because he was above having anything multicultural that wasn’t in a restaurant.

Arthur stayed in his study until it arrived and came down when the doorbell rang. He took the box from Merlin in the hallway and said, “Living room.” Merlin followed and Arthur grunted for him to take a seat next to him.

Arthur turned on the television he never used and switched it to some channel that showed old film reruns. _Full Metal Jacket_ was playing.

Merlin thought it a bit depressing and not at all suitable for any attempt at seduction to work, but it wasn’t his place to complain. Arthur seemed to like it though, and he was in a good mood, so that was something. He even laughed, incongruously loud a few times.

Merlin liked this relaxed Arthur. He could imagine this Arthur painting in the study or doodling on the walls of his room. When this Arthur laughed, his whole face laughed with him, his wide smile reaching his eyes and bringing lines to the side of his mouth.

It was really unfair how attractive he was.

It was time for Merlin to pull out all the stops. He kicked his shoes off—he was allowed to do that—and settled himself sideways on the sofa so that one leg was propped up on the cushion and the other was on the floor. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a lollipop, then squirmed again until he was comfortable. He unwrapped the candy, then put it in his mouth, sucking on it loudly to draw Arthur’s attention.

Arthur’s head turned so fast Merlin thought for a moment it might snap right off. His eyes widened as he took in the sight of Merlin, lips puckered over the lollipop and his legs spread apart.

“Sorry.” Merlin took the candy out of his mouth with a pop. “It’s always loud at first. I know how to suck quietly. You’re clearly enjoying this film.”

He returned it to his mouth and shifted his eyes to the screen, trying his best to hold back a victorious smile. He could see Arthur still watching him in his peripheral vision.

After a few minutes, Arthur turned back to the film, but he kept sneaking glances at Merlin every so often. Merlin decided he ought to step it up a bit.

He pulled an Elena and stretched his arms high above his head, yawning as he did so. His shirt rose up to expose his lower abdomen, a dark trail of hair clearly visible. He stretched his legs out too, and they were long enough to bump into Arthur. His toes nudged Arthur’s ankle and Arthur flinched.

“Sorry,” Merlin apologised instantly.

Arthur rolled his eyes but there was definitely colour in his cheeks. “You have terrible film-watching etiquette.”

“Only when the film is so boring.”

“Right. You probably want to watch something like _Velvet Goldmine_ or _Breakfast on Pluto_.”

“Ahaha! Have you seen those?”

“Yes.”

Merlin took the lollipop out of his mouth and held it a little away from his lips, which were swollen and red. “Well, what did you think? Was Jonathan Rhys Meyers not the sexiest David Bowie you ever saw?”

“Um...” Merlin could tell Arthur was distracted by his mouth. Merlin had gotten a lot of compliments on his mouth. He had amazing lips, which he now tilted up just so in a crooked smile. Arthur seemed to come back to himself. “I’m not exactly qualified to answer that considering I’m straight.”

Merlin waved the lollipop in the air. “That doesn’t matter. Girls judge other girls’ appearances all the time. You can say he looked handsome without finding him attractive.”

Arthur chose his words carefully. “He wasn’t...terrible looking.”

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Merlin put the lollipop back between his lips with forced slowness as he turned his attention back to the current film. Arthur shifted on his cushion uncomfortably and Merlin knew he’d won.

The film was almost over and it was quarter to eight. As the credits began rolling Arthur turned to Merlin and asked with extreme exasperation, “Aren’t you uncomfortable in those?”

Merlin had taken a break from sucking the lollipop because he “wanted to make it last,” so he gave it a lick to keep it wet before saying, “In what?”

“Those trousers.”

Merlin shrugged. “They’re not that bad. And I had nothing else to wear today. I’ve been so caught up in your dirty clothes I’ve gotten behind on my own.” He was just about to pop the candy back in his mouth when Arthur leaned over and snatched it from him.

“God, you and this lollipop.” He stuck it in his own mouth. “Hmm. Watermelon.”

Now Merlin’s trousers really were becoming uncomfortable. “Very funny,” Merlin said sarcastically. “Give it back.” He held out his hand.

“I don’t think I will. In fact,” Arthur leaned in close and said heatedly, “I think you’re using it to try and seduce me.”

Merlin swallowed and his heart jumped. “I-Is it working?”

Arthur grabbed Merlin’s hand and placed it on his thigh. No, that wasn’t a thigh, that was definitely a cock and it was definitely rock fucking hard.

“You tell me.”

Merlin swallowed again and squeezed just the tiniest bit, making Arthur gasp. “I’d say that’s a firm yes.”

Arthur laughed, low and beautiful. Merlin took a chance and leaned closer. He opened his mouth just enough to slide his lips over the stick of the lollipop and meet Arthur’s on the other end. Arthur’s eyes were wide with shock and his pupils dilated with lust. Merlin flicked his tongue over Arthur’s puckered lips and Arthur separated them, allowed Merlin in and Merlin moaned at the taste of watermelon and Arthur.

But it was too awkward of a kiss to last for long. Merlin pulled off with a loud smack and gently tugged the lollipop from Arthur’s mouth. He held it in his right hand while his left snaked around Arthur’s neck to pull him back in.

Merlin was immediately rewarded. Arthur placed his hands on Merlin’s chest and pushed him back so he could position himself above Merlin more horizontally. He slotted his hips between Merlin’s legs and brought their groins together in a delicious moment of friction.

They moaned simultaneously and Arthur pressed a bit harder. “Mmmm, Merlin. Merlin, why do you do this to me? You make it so hard to resist, with your stupid lips and your gorgeous arse.”

“So do us both a favour and stop resisting, yeah?”

“You knew, didn’t you? You knew all along I wasn’t straight.”

Well, that wasn’t exactly true...He hadn’t been certain until he snooped around on the laptop.

“Impeccable gaydar.”

Arthur chuckled. “Damn. And here I thought I had you fooled.” He moved down to suck Merlin’s neck and Merlin arched his spine.

“Not even a little bit,” Merlin continued, breathless.

“Mmm. Bet those trousers are getting uncomfortable now.”

“Why don’t you take ‘em off for me?”

“Well look at that, you’re not completely stupid after all,” Arthur teased but moved to undo Merlin’s button. It was short work and left Merlin with just his shirt and socks on.

“Things usually go better when both of us are naked, you know,” Merlin pointed out.

“Patience is a virtue, Merlin.” Still, Arthur pulled back and began to work on his own trousers.

“I never claimed to be virtuous.”

“That much was obvious from the way you were sucking that lollipop.”

“Oh, you mean this one?” Merlin still had it firmly in his right hand and brought it to his lips where he twirled his tongue around it and batted his eyelashes.

Arthur’s eyebrows came together in a wrecked expression and he moaned pathetically. “You should be illegal.”

“And you should finish getting your clothes off.”

Arthur clicked his tongue but pulled his trousers off. Meanwhile, Merlin pulled his shirt over his head, careful of the lollipop in his hand. When the fabric was no longer blocking his view, he saw Arthur, naked except for his pants, stroking an impressive cock that poked out of the fold of his boxers.

Merlin licked his lips in anticipation. Suddenly there was nothing more in the world he wanted besides that cock in his mouth.

“Well. She wasn’t kidding about the size,” Merlin said shakily. “I assume you _do_ know how to use it, though?”

Arthur lowered himself back down to mouth at Merlin’s nipple. “Oh yes. But it’s a bit hard to focus on pleasing someone while you’re trying to imagine someone else. Particularly if tits as large as hers keep hitting you in the face.”

Ah. Gay then, not bisexual. Merlin laughed as much as his breathless state allowed. “I don’t have those, so I think you’re safe.”

Arthur moved lower, kissed a trail down Merlin’s stomach. “Yes. Thank god. Not to mention what you do have.” His hand ran up the side of Merlin’s thigh and came to rest on the bulge in his briefs. Merlin let out a high, whining noise and jerked his hips up for more.

But Arthur would have none of it. He pressed firmly down on Merlin’s hipbones and kissed his way leisurely to the erection. When he finally put his mouth on it over the fabric, he looked up from beneath long lashes with dark eyes straight at Merlin.

Merlin whimpered again and took a deep, calming breath. Arthur’s lips curved up in a smile as he opened his mouth wider to breathe hot air over it and graze his gently with his teeth. He placed small, suckling kisses up and down the shaft, and nosed his way down to the crease of Merlin’s balls, giving them attention as well.

“Arthur,” Merlin gasped. “Please. I want—Please, let me fuck you.”

Arthur replaced his mouth with his hand. “Alright.”

“Oh thank fuck.” Merlin let his head fall back in relief, glad that he’d not only succeeded in seducing Arthur, but that he’d get to fuck him as well. “Can we go to your room?”

Arthur’s brow twitched in an unreadable expression. “No. Guest bedroom.”

Merlin frowned. “Why?”

“Merlin,” Arthur nearly snapped, getting frustrated. “You saw, when you nearly entered that day. It’s like—my room is...”

“What?”

“It’s like a kid’s room. The walls—”

“I didn’t see any Disney princess posters.”

“ _Mer_ lin—”

“Please? If I’m breaking the rules by seducing my employer I might as well break all of them.”

Arthur gave a short exhale of breath but seemed to give in. “Of course _you_ would adopt that idiotic logic.”

“Logic _is_ my area of expertise.”

“Whatever that means. Fine. We’ll go to my room. But don’t you dare laugh.”

“I don’t see why I would.”

“Clearly you didn’t have a good enough look the first time,” Arthur said, standing up and pulling Merlin along with him.

“To be honest, I don’t plan on paying your room much attention. I just want to fuck you there.” He saw Arthur’s cock twitch and laughed. Arthur tried to pinch Merlin’s arm but Merlin evaded it easily with another laugh and ran for the staircase. “Race you!” he giggled.

Arthur rolled his eyes but couldn’t keep the smile off his face. “ _Mer_ lin!” he chased after him.

Merlin had long legs and took the stairs three steps at a time. His leg muscles were strong and he bounded up with ease, expertly placing a foot on the step and propelling himself up to the next. Arthur was slow and not nearly as lithe or acrobatic as Merlin. Merlin got to Arthur’s room first, and by a stroke of luck, it was unlocked. He entered and sat cross-legged on the bed to wait for Arthur.

“Holy shit,” Arthur gasped appreciatively at the sight of Merlin, naked and perfect, waiting for him. “If only I had a camera.”

Merlin leaned back on his hands and quirked an eyebrow. “Was that a compliment, Arthur?”

Arthur gave his cock a few strokes and crawled onto the bed. “Don’t let it go to your head,” he quipped.

Merlin chuckled but it was soon swallowed by a gasp of his own when Arthur grabbed his ankles and pulled his legs straight out. Arthur slid himself between the pale limbs and with a rough yank, pulled down Merlin’s briefs so his cock sprang free. Merlin choked out a moan.

“Raise up a bit?”

Merlin lifted his hips and let Arthur take off his briefs. Arthur rolled on his back and wiggled out of his pants as well.

While he was in such a perfect position, Merlin shifted his weight and swung a leg over to straddle him. Arthur’s hands landed automatically on his waist and Merlin leaned forward to plant a kiss to parted lips.

It was deep and unhurried and Arthur curled his fingers in the hair on the back of Merlin’s neck, making him shudder. Arthur was surprisingly pliant beneath him, letting him control the kiss and suck on his tongue when he had the urge to do so.

Then Arthur jerked his hips up and their cocks slid against each other, bringing forth more breathy moans from the both of them.

“Going to need some essential items, you know,” Merlin kissed the side of Arthur’s mouth.

“I’d get them if someone wasn’t on top of me.” But even as he said it, Arthur placed his hands on Merlin’s arse and squeezed him closer to get the friction again.

Merlin chuckled on an exhale and extricated himself from Arthur’s arms. Arthur chased Merlin’s mouth for another quick kiss before getting up to open the top drawer of his dresser. He came back to bed with a condom and a small bottle.

“Just so you know,” Merlin said, pouring lube on his fingers while Arthur laid back on the pillows. “I’m going to give it to you so hard you’ll see stars.”

Arthur rose an eyebrow and one side of his mouth twitched up in a smile. “That sounds like a threat, but I’m sort of hoping it’s a promise.” And how he managed to look intimidating while waiting for Merlin to slip his fingers inside was a mystery Merlin would never solve.

That look was gone the moment Merlin inserted the first digit. Arthur let out a sort of contented sigh and closed his eyes peacefully. He kept his eyes closed the whole time, just let Merlin work him open slowly and lifted his knees to his chest when he wanted to change the angle.

His erection was starting to flag, and well, Merlin didn’t want that, so he sat up and took the head in his mouth. Arthur’s eyes snapped open and he inhaled sharply.

“Merlin,” he said hoarsely.

Merlin lifted his eyes to Arthur’s but slid his mouth further down. Arthur was rather impressive and stretched his mouth painfully, but Merlin could take it. He scissored his fingers back and forth inside and swirled his tongue around the tip. When he needed use of his other hand, he raised his arm and pressed the sticky lollipop to Arthur’s lips, slipping it inside when they parted.

“Mmm. You and this damn lollipop,” Arthur repeated around the candy in his mouth.

Merlin popped off Arthur’s dick with a smack. “Don’t want it to go to waste.” He applied more lube to his fingers where they disappeared into Arthur’s arse and returned his mouth to Arthur’s cock. He wrapped his now free hand around the base and stroked the length he couldn’t fit in his mouth in time with his thrusting fingers. When he added another digit, Arthur moaned.

“Merlin I can’t—God, I won’t last at this rate,” he whined.

Merlin raised up. “Duly noted.”

He stretched Arthur with three fingers a bit longer until he brushed Arthur’s prostate and Arthur cried out. “God, Merlin, what are you _doing_ , just fuck me already!”

Merlin pulled back to put the condom on. “Patience is a virtue, Arthur.” Arthur glared at him. Once sheathed in lubed latex, Merlin leaned forward and plucked the lollipop from Arthur’s mouth. “On your knees,” he jerked a thumb upwards. He put the lollipop between his lips as Arthur scrambled to comply.

Merlin wasted no more time with teasing. How could he, with Arthur’s perfect arse open and pressing insistently against his cock like that? With a steady hand on Arthur’s hip, he guided himself inside, slowly, so slowly, and his jaw went slack when he was fully seated, causing some watermelon-flavoured saliva to dribble out..

This was better than he could have ever dreamed. He ran his hands up Arthur’s muscled back appreciatively, finishing his circuit at the round globes of Arthur’s arse. He gave them an experimental squeeze.

Arthur’s breath hitched in his throat. “I-If you’re done admiring the view, Merlin.”

“Right. Sorry.”

Merlin slid out nearly all the way then thrust back in, hard. He repeated the motion several times, each time earning an “uh” from Arthur. He widened his stance and began to shorten his movements, snapping his hips quicker and harder. Arthur’s spine started to curve as he angled himself to push back with just as much force.

“S’good, Arthur, fuck, you’re incredible,” Merlin panted.

“Merlin, I— _nnngh_ —no idea how much I’ve wanted this, wanted _you_ —oh!”

Merlin found Arthur’s weak spot again and once he figured out the angle he hit it over and over. Arthur had the urge to cry out but he didn’t want Merlin to think he was being hurt so he settled for shouting the affirmative. “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

God, Arthur was loud. He wasn’t nearly this loud for the stranger that had fucked him in the kitchen and the thought made Merlin insanely proud.

Arthur must have realised his volume because he shifted his weight to his left arm and twisted his back at an awkward angle, so that he was partially facing Merlin from the waist up. He swung his right arm over Merlin’s head and curved a hand around Merlin’s neck to pull him forward for a sloppy kiss.

Merlin took the lollipop from his mouth as Arthur’s lips neared him and plunged his watermelon-flavoured tongue deep inside. Arthur moaned around it and sucked to get more of the taste. Then when he pulled away, he took the lollipop, almost all gone now, and stuck it between his own lips, before turning back around on all fours. Having something to suck on would keep him quiet.

Merlin kept up his pace the whole time, but he could feel he was getting close. He was surprised he’d last this long given Arthur was definitely the hottest bloke he’d fucked to date. Just in case Arthur wasn’t as close as him, he wrapped slim, possessive fingers around the rock hard cock and tugged.

Arthur made a high noise in the back of his throat. Merlin might have even gone so far as to call it a squeal. And then Arthur was coming in thick, hot streams on the duvet, milky fluid staining the red fabric, and Merlin followed him with a final exhalation of pleasure of his own.

“Buggering fuck, Merlin,” Arthur remarked breathlessly. He rolled over onto his back, avoiding the mess he’d made in the middle of his bed. “I think I actually blacked out for a second there.”

Merlin pulled off the condom and tossed it in the bin right by the bed. He collapsed on his back on the other side of Arthur’s orgasm. “No stars?”

Arthur let his head loll to the side and looked at Merlin in confusion a few seconds before breaking out into breathless laughter. “No stars.”

“Damn. Must be losing my touch. Oh well, I guess blacking out is a suitable alternative.” Merlin smiled back at him blissfully.

They stared at each other without realising it. Merlin forgot there was a man behind those eyes, he was so lost in just _looking_. Then Arthur pulled the lollipop out of his mouth, which was just a stick now, and said, “Here, toss this.”

Merlin rolled his eyes at the command— _Already back to being a prat_ —but took it from the outstretched hand and threw it in the bin.

“And you’re washing these sheets,” he added.

“Um, excuse me, but that’s _your_ come,” Merlin raised his eyebrows at the mess that separated them.

“Doesn’t matter. You started it by wearing those jeans.”

“That’s hardly fair.”

“Such is the way of life,” Arthur replied wistfully. Then his expression changed to curiosity. “Why did you go to all that trouble anyway?”

Merlin blushed but decided to confess. He was lying about enough already, which now that he thought about it, made him feel horrible. “I didn’t want you to go on another date this week.”

Arthur laughed. “So you _were_ jealous. I knew it.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay, get over yourself.”

Arthur grew suddenly serious. “But is this—did you want...there to be more than this?” He reached over and dragged his knuckles over Merlin’s chest in circles.

“More than just sex?” Merlin asked. Arthur let his eyes talk for him and Merlin let his head fall back. He placed his hand over Arthur’s on his chest and threaded their fingers together, closing his eyes. “I really like you, Arthur. You can be...nice, when you want to be. And your artwork is amazing so I know there must be more to you than the hard exterior you put up. I do really, _really_ want more than this. But I don’t think...I mean, I can’t. Not right now.” Merlin opened his eyes and turned his head to look at Arthur with a pleading expression. “Do you understand?”

Arthur chewed his lip. “You looked at the canvasses then. In the study.” Merlin blinked. “How else would you know what to think of my art?”

“Oh. Yeah,” Merlin admitted sheepishly. “Only the two on top though.”

Arthur sighed. “Can’t say I’m surprised. You can’t do anything right.”

“Oi!”

“ _But_. It’s sort of a good thing we can’t take this any farther than it’s already gone. I don’t...I don’t date blokes, Merlin. I’ll let myself have them every once in a while, if I’m desperate, but I have to have a wife someday.”

“Why?”

“It’s what my father wanted.” Merlin opened his mouth to protest but Arthur shushed him. “Look, my father and I...we never got along. Ever. About anything. Especially toward the end when I came out to him. It was practically his dying wish to see me marry a nice girl. The least I could do is honour it.”

“You mean lie to yourself about who you are and live a miserable life because of a dying man’s fever babble?” Merlin snapped. “That’s a pretty stupid fucking reason, Arthur.”

“I won’t be miserable. I’ll just indulge every so often, like I do now.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s called cheating. And I don’t think your future wife will be okay with that.”

“I won’t _tell_ her obviously.” Arthur rolled his eyes like Merlin was stupid for even thinking it.

“And kids? You know she’ll want kids and you’ll have to lie to them as well. You really want your whole life to be one big lie because of what your _father_ wanted?”

“What would you do in my place, Merlin? This is my father, not some homeless man on the street that wants me take care of his cat after he’s gone,” Arthur snapped, annoyed now. “If it was one of your parents, wouldn’t you try to honour their last request?”

“Yeah, but my mum is different. She wants me to be happy and wouldn’t ever place her own desires above my own. Even if she did ask, I’d say, ‘Wow, that’s really nice and all, Mum, but this is sort of my life and you have no right dictating it.’”

Arthur snatched his hand back and turned his back on Merlin. “I think you should leave now, Merlin. It’s past nine.”

Merlin’s brow furrowed. He couldn’t leave things like this. “Arthur—”

“Get out!”

Merlin huffed. “Fine.” He plucked up his trousers from the floor and stomped out. “I hope you enjoy sleeping on your come-stained bed tonight, _sir_ ,” he said over his shoulder as he slammed the door behind him.

“As if I don’t have three other beds to choose from!” Arthur shouted back at him through the closed door.

*

They say people’s homes often reflect those who live there.

Merlin’s flat was a wreck.

Merlin did not do moral dilemmas. He didn’t do grey areas and indecision. He dealt with 1’s and 0’s, yes and no, true and false.

The decision should have been easy. He had come with a simple purpose: get in, get info, get out. There was no need for emotional attachments and lingering _feelings_. Those were just things that got in the way. It’s why Merlin liked computers so much. They were much less complicated than people.

But Merlin did get emotionally attached. He did develop feelings. And like always, they were _getting in the way_.

However, Merlin was a good person. If Arthur had been just an arrogant, snobbish, scheming, corrupt bastard, Merlin would have exposed his secret in a heartbeat, would have posted it all over Reddit and Twitter and any other social media that would tear Arthur’s social status apart. But Arthur was genuinely good, even if he was a bit of a prat and thought he had to go fulfilling a dead man's wishes.

So Merlin ruled out letting Arthur’s secret slip entirely. He just wouldn’t do it.

There was no way he could tell Cenred that though, not with his mother and his flat hanging in the balance. He also didn’t want to see Arthur fail spectacularly though, so waiting while Arthur drove the company into the ground wasn’t an option either. Merlin didn’t really know what to do.

He decided upon not deciding. He’d see what the next day brought and go with it from there. Basically his plan was to just wing it.

Friday morning, emerging from the cave of his room, Merlin stepped on an empty cup and lost his footing. He banged his knee on the hard floor and swore loudly. He cried out again when he stuck his hand out to catch his fall and it landed on the rough surface of a circuit board.

He groaned and held his throbbing skull. He didn’t even know what time it was, only that he’d stayed up late drowning his sorrows in vodka and it was definitely past time for him to have served Arthur breakfast.

Since Arthur was certain to have fixed himself some cereal and gone ahead to work, Merlin took his time getting ready. He trudged to the shower and stood under the cold spray for ten minutes, trying to shock himself to full wakefulness. Then he dressed and had a nice hot cup of tea with some buttered toast. By the time he locked his front door behind him, the pain in his head had receded to a dull ache.

When Merlin arrived at Arthur’s house he found that Arthur at least had the decency to throw the soiled bedclothes to the bottom of the stairs. Merlin scooped them in his arms and took them to the laundry room, put them in to wash then went to do the dishes.

Merlin finished his chores quickly then went out to buy more meat. He didn’t know what Arthur would be in the mood for tonight—or if Arthur would even be eating in tonight since there was nothing stopping him from going on a date after their row—so he bought a whole ham, some turkey legs, and a chicken. Arthur always gave him too much money for food anyway, and whatever Arthur didn’t want, Merlin would eat.

When he stored the meat away, Merlin plopped onto the sofa in the living room. Then, remembering what had happened there, decided to lie down in the guest bedroom instead. Since Cenred had gotten tired of hearing Merlin say there’d been nothing new, he’d told Merlin not to call unless there was something of interest to report.

Merlin was still a bit hungover from the previous night, so he let himself take what he felt was a well-deserved nap. When he woke up it was to high-pitched female giggling and clacking heels on the floor. The light was coming in sideways through the window.

Merlin groaned and rubbed his eyes with the back of his knuckle. He’d meant to wake up before Arthur got home and put the sheets back on Arthur’s bed, but he was more tired than he thought. Now it was too late.

“This place is a _ma_ zing,” the female voice was saying. “I do love high ceilings. It makes me feel so...free.”

Merlin got up and peeked out the door. The woman had light brown hair that she was pulling out of a pony tail and shaking over her shoulders. It fell down her back in long tresses. She wore a grey business suit with a pink trim and tall, pink heels. _Co-worker_ , Merlin realised bitterly.

Then she turned to see the rest of the house and Merlin saw her face. _Great, she’s bloody beautiful,_ Merlin thought. _Not that it matters. He wouldn’t find her attractive anyway._

She walked past the door with wide, brown eyes, admiring the artwork on the walls and the architecture of the house. She soon walked out of view and Arthur took up Merlin’s vision as he followed behind her.

Arthur was watching her with an amused smile. He was probably used to people reacting to his house this way, used to people reacting to _him_ that way. He stood with his hands in his pockets as she looked into the living room and admired the rug.

A subtle shift in the air sent Arthur’s gaze Merlin’s way. He spied Merlin, standing just behind the cracked guest room door and his amused smile faded. Merlin opened the door all the way and leaned against the frame with his arms crossed over his chest defiantly.

The woman chose that moment to come running back into view. Or come as quick as she could in her heels. She got close to Arthur and held his wrists in her hands. “You have a lovely home, Arthur,” she said, batting her eyelashes. Then she followed Arthur’s gaze and her eyes widened in surprise. Merlin unfolded his arms. “Oh! Who’s this?”

Arthur cleared his throat. Merlin walked forward and tried to put on his best smile. “Mithian, this is Merlin, my houseboy. Merlin, Mithian.”

Mithian blushed deep scarlet and her mouth rounded in a little ‘o.’ “Your...houseboy?”

Merlin hurried to clarify, feeling colour rise to his own cheeks. Arthur really had to stop calling him that. “Housecleaner. He means to say housecleaner. I’m not—we’re not—I just work for him.”

Arthur frowned. “Is there a difference?”

Mithian giggled. “Oh, Arthur. There is a very, _very_ big difference.” Arthur looked like he wanted to ask but he was already put off about not knowing something Mithian and Merlin clearly did.

Merlin coughed and pulled his collar away from his throat, starting to feel like it was strangling him. He stuck out his hand and fixed his smile firmly. “Nice to meet you, Mithian.”

“Likewise,” she replied, accepting the hand.

“Merlin here will be serving us dinner,” Arthur continued. “You _have_ remembered to restock the fridge, I assume?”

“Yes.”

“Excellent. How would you like to see the rest of the house, Mithian?”

Arthur interlocked their arms and led her away while Merlin was left to prepare dinner. Merlin wished he didn’t have such high morals—and wasn’t tit over arse in love with the man—so he could be done with the whole ordeal.

*

“Thank you, Merlin, this looks lovely,” Mithian beamed up at him as he placed her plate in front of her.

At least she had good manners, which was more than could be said of Elena. “My pleasure, Mithian. Arthur doesn’t often have guests over, so any and all compliments are welcome,” he replied with a conspiratorial smile.

Mithian took a bite of the pasta that Merlin had added a light mushroom sauce to and made an appreciative sound. “Oh, but I’m sure Arthur has commented on your cooking before. This tastes amazing.”

“Well, he’s...certainly commented on it,” Merlin rubbed the back of his neck. He avoided looking Arthur in the eye, who was stabbing at his chicken like it was...well, like it was Merlin at that moment.

“You’re not unkind, are you, Arthur?” she asked with a light touch on Arthur’s arm. Merlin wanted to chop that arm off and stomp on it.

Instead, he said, “No, no, Arthur’s quite liberal actually. I don’t _dis_ like working for him. He just gets stressed sometimes is all,” Merlin said. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me, Arthur,” he finished, because he really ought to get out of there before he said something stupid. Arthur grunted.

Once alone, Merlin took a deep breath and tried to still his trembling hands. What was he _doing_? What was _Arthur_ doing? Was this some sort of way to get back at him for saying it was stupid to honour his father? If so, it was hardly necessary.

Luckily, the two of them didn’t need anything, as they had a bottle of red wine at the table they could pour at their leisure. Merlin sat and brooded over his own plate while he listened to the back and forth of their voices in the next room over. It was mostly her talking and giggling, but occasionally Arthur replied or chuckled.

When they’d talked and sat almost an hour, Merlin got up to check on them. He was about to turn the corner when he heard Arthur say, “I keep trying to do what everyone wants me to do, but it seems everyone just wants me to fail.”

“That’s not true, Arthur,” Mithian replied softly. “They just...think that maybe Agravaine would be better suited to run the company. Your father was going to leave it to him before a last minute change in his will. Nobody understands why your father did it, but I believe he had high hopes for you. He didn’t want to see you slave away on the fourth floor as a simple cover artist.”

“But I _wanted_ to be a simple cover artist,” Arthur groaned. “Well, not really. I wanted to be just a normal artist, with my own gallery and maybe—But I never wanted any of this. I _told_ him that. And I bet that’s why he changed it in his will in the first place, so I’d get stuck with it.”

“Oh, Arthur.”

Merlin chewed his lip. It was as he’d thought. Arthur didn’t want the company and that’s why they were doing poorly. He just had to tell Cenred this and maybe he’d be free.

First he had to deal with this. Merlin took a deep breath and turned the corner.

Arthur sat with one hand clenched in a fist on his thigh and the other on the table, Mithian’s slender hands on top of it. Their plates were empty, as well as their glasses, so Merlin stacked them up and took them away wordlessly.

When Merlin returned to the dining room to see if they needed anything else, they were rising from their chairs and Arthur was pulling her closer by the hand. Merlin silently exited before he could be noticed.

He waited until they were ascending the stairs to return and wipe down the table. He took Mithian’s suit jacket from the back of her chair and put it up in the closet.

There was another high-pitched giggle from the top of the stairs. _Is he really going to take her to his room?_ Merlin wondered. Out of curiosity, he walked to the bottom of the staircase and looked up. He could see flickers of their reflection in the small mirrors of the chandelier. Their bodies were pressed together but Merlin couldn’t see much else.

His feet started ascending the steps by themselves. He halted just when they were straight above him. They were standing by the railing that overlooked the entire staircase.

Mithian’s face was buried in Arthur’s neck where she sucked kisses into his neck. Arthur’s hands were limp around her slim waist, resting atop her wide hips. His face was a blank expression and his eyes far away as he let her kiss up his jaw.

He didn’t see Merlin yet, but Merlin had a full view. Arthur looked...resigned, sad almost. Merlin saw his chest rise and fall with a silent sigh.

“Arthur?” Mithian realised all of a sudden Arthur wasn’t reciprocating. She raised a hand to cradle his face. “Is everything alright, sweetie?”

Arthur’s eyes regained their focus and he noticed Merlin standing on the stairs, observing. He began to look surprised but Merlin lifted his finger to his lips and shook his head.

“Fine,” Arthur croaked and shifted his gaze to Mithian quickly. He gave her a charming smile. “I’m fine. Just a lot on my mind. Sorry.”

Mithian’s answering smile crept slowly across her face. “Merlin was right. You _are_ stressed. Let me help you relax, alright?” She kissed him full on the mouth and Arthur let her suck his bottom lip. “Don’t think about work now.”

She returned to his neck and Arthur looked back to Merlin. His eyes locked on Merlin’s lips and traced the contours of his jaw, down to where a few light chest hairs were peeking out of his partially unbuttoned shirt. Merlin licked his lips slowly and swallowed and Arthur let out a soft moan.

“There you go, Arthur, just let me take care of you,” Mithian whispered softly. She ran her hand up the side of his arm and over his shoulder, finally bringing her palm up to the back of his neck to curl her fingers in his hair.

Still, Arthur only watched Merlin. His hands gripped Mithian’s waist a little harder but otherwise he made no move to give back.

Merlin was struck with an idea. A terrible idea that he was sure to regret, but it would show Arthur how futile his efforts at being straight were and get back at him for bringing this wench here at the same time.

Merlin mouthed the word “Follow” with his lips. He raised his shaking hands up slowly and began undoing the first clasped button of his shirt. Arthur, on the floor above, mirrored the movement with Mithian’s blouse.

It was lucky her back was leaning against the railing and Merlin remained unseen. He nodded a “very good” and continued to unbutton his shirt. Mithian was gasping for breath under Arthur’s touch, but Arthur had eyes only for Merlin.

With his shirt open and his torso exposed, Merlin placed his hands on his stomach lightly and moved them up ever so slowly until he got to his nipples. In Mithian’s case, this resulted in Arthur cupping her breasts and squeezing them gently, to which Arthur was rewarded with a shaky, “A-Arthur!”

She tilted her head back and Merlin licked an invisible stripe in the air as he kept massaging his nipples. Arthur licked a similar stripe up Mithian’s exposed neck. She shuddered and her hips jerked forward a little to feel Arthur’s growing interest.

And Merlin...Merlin couldn’t say for certain whether or not he was enjoying himself, because it was Arthur and he was touching someone else. But Arthur was looking at _him_ and even if it was a bit odd, Merlin was getting hard too.

He kept one hand on his nipple and trailed the other one down to the bulge in his trousers. Arthur followed that as well and Mithian loved the attention.

Merlin stuck the tips of his fingers just inside the hem of his trousers to indicate that Arthur should stick his hand into her knickers. Arthur got the idea and did. Merlin kept his own fingers outside so Arthur could see what he’d do then slid his hand farther down to cup his clothed cock and with just his middle finger he stroked the taut fabric. It wasn’t nearly enough for what he wanted to do, but it was what Mithian would like.

And she went mad. She keened and cried out, “Arthur!”

Merlin kept it up. He started moving his finger in circles and Mithian kept moaning for more. Her voice was beginning to get on Merlin’s nerves and Merlin suddenly didn’t want to see anymore. Surely Arthur could handle it from here. He dropped his hands and turned to leave.

“Wait,” Arthur stopped him. Merlin froze, but unfortunately so did Mithian.

“Wh-what is it?” Mithian asked, a bit breathless. “What’s wrong?”

Arthur removed his hands from her and pulled back, looking at her with immense pain. “I can’t do this.”

“What?” Mithian looked appalled.

Merlin started buttoning his shirt quickly and eyed Arthur curiously.

“This,” Arthur repeated, gesturing to her open blouse. “I don’t—I’m sorry, but this isn’t what I want.”

“You don’t...want to sleep with me?”

Merlin turned and descended the stairs quietly. They slipped out of his view but Merlin could still hear them.

“I’m sorry. No,” Arthur told her. “I’ll...take you home now.”

Merlin reached the bottom of the stairs and hurried back to the kitchen to start on the dishes. He was torn between feeling guilty at ruining Arthur’s date and thrilled at the same time. What on earth possessed him to do that?

He ran a hand through his hair and turned on the tap. Footsteps on the marble staircase echoed off the walls. Merlin began to rinse the plates.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you?” He heard Arthur’s voice from the other room. “You could wait here for the cab to arrive. I...I feel terrible.”

Mithian’s heels clacked loudly on the floor as they went to the dining room. “No, Arthur, I think it’d be best if I just leave. Where’s my jacket?”

Merlin wiped his hands dry on his trousers as he hurried to the dining room. Mithian had righted her attire but her face was still a bit flushed, though that could be from anger at this point.

“I put it up in the closet,” Merlin said when he entered. “Are you leaving already?” he asked innocently, his hands folded in front of the bulge still pushing against the fabric of his trousers.

“Yes. It seems there’s been a misunderstanding,” Mithian said curtly.

“Oh. Well. I’ll go get your jacket then.” Merlin fled the room.

Mithian followed, since the exit was in the same direction. Merlin returned to her halfway down the corridor and handed her the garment.

“I’m sorry if you had a bad time,” Merlin apologised sincerely. Mithian had been nothing but nice to him, and he had nothing against her as a person.

She caught herself up and regarded Merlin fondly. “It’s not your fault, Merlin. You’ve been a lovely attendant. As I said, it was simply a misunderstanding.” She gave Merlin a final smile and Arthur a parting glare. “I suppose I’ll see you on Monday, Arthur. Goodbye.”

Arthur locked the door behind her and turned to face Merlin slowly. He seemed to have the weight of the world on his shoulders.

“She’s wrong,” Merlin said before Arthur could speak. “It’s all my fault.”

Arthur brushed past Merlin roughly, knocking into his shoulder. “Don’t be ridiculous, Merlin. We both know I brought this on myself.”

“Arthur—” Merlin grabbed Arthur’s wrist and spun him around. “We should talk.”

Arthur shoved Merlin back with an open palm to his chest and Merlin’s shoulder-blades hit the door painfully. “You know what, _Mer_ lin,” Arthur growled, poking Merlin sharply between the ribs. “Maybe this _is_ your fault. Before you showed up, my life was just fine. You’re the one that’s changed everything.”

“I didn’t—I’m sorry, Arthur, I—”

“Shut up.”

Arthur yanked Merlin by the collar and pulled him into a merciless kiss. He put all his frustration into it and Merlin sensed the desperation, the feeling of having failed and just not giving a damn anymore.

He invaded Merlin’s mouth and claimed every corner. He held on tight to Merlin’s collar, clenching the fabric in his fists, and wouldn’t let Merlin get away, not that Merlin had any plans on escaping. And when the muscles in his arms and shoulders began to ache from being high-strung, Arthur pushed Merlin back again and released his hold to wrap his arms around Merlin’s waist instead.

For once, Merlin didn’t speak. He shut up and he tried to give back as much as he got, which was a lot considering Arthur was all take take take. Arthur snogged him hard against the door, held him tight and grinded himself on Merlin’s thigh. Merlin pushed back not only because they wouldn’t be Merlin and Arthur if he didn’t retaliate, but for the friction. The way Arthur slotted their legs together had their cocks rubbing shamelessly against each other.

They didn’t try to last. It had started as messy, desperate frotting and that’s how it ended. Merlin came silently in his trousers first and Arthur followed when Merlin snuck a hand between their bodies and cupped Arthur’s balls. Still, Arthur held onto Merlin and pressed their sweaty foreheads together as they came down.

“Can I talk now?” Merlin swallowed a breath and panted.

“Yes. After we change,” Arthur replied just as breathlessly. He entwined their fingers and didn’t let go until they reached his bedroom. They got out of their soiled clothes and Arthur lent Merlin some things he had from back in his teens, which still hung off his frame loosely.

Then Arthur sat in his desk chair and Merlin sat cross-legged on the bed. “Alright. What is it?”

Merlin took a deep breath. “That, back there, before. I didn’t...I wasn’t thinking. I don’t even know why I was on the stairs in the first place, my feet sort of just...moved. And then I saw how sad you looked and I thought...I don’t know what I thought, but I guess I thought I was helping? And the next thing I know she’s practically screaming your name and all I could think was ‘oh my god, that should be me,’ and I had to get out of there.”

Merlin’s hands were shaking so he stuck them in his armpits. He wouldn’t look directly at Arthur, but tried to continue. “I didn’t mean to fuck everything up. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen, for _us_ to happen. And now it has and everything is just...I just really fucked up. I really can’t do anything right.”

He ended with a short exhalation of breath and began chewing his lip. He couldn’t tell Arthur the truth, not the whole truth, but he could say that much.

Arthur cleared his throat and Merlin forced himself to look up. “May I say something?” Merlin blinked. “I think you may have been right, much as I hate to admit it.” Merlin smiled wryly. “I spoke with Mithian at dinner, about work, about how my father left me the company because of what he wanted for me. And I realised I’m _tired_ , Merlin. I’m only twenty-eight but sometimes I feel middle aged. Everyone at work believes my uncle should have gotten the company and I can’t disagree. He was going to get it, too, and I know the only reason my father changed that at the last minute was because I came out to him. It was his last resort. He wanted to control my life even in death.”

“I don’t—”

“Let me finish. I’ve got pressure coming from all sides. There’s my dead father that wants me to forge ahead with the company and get married. There’s the hundreds of employees at work that either want to see me fail and give up or hand it over to my uncle. And then there’s you that—”

“I just want you to do what it is _you_ want to do, Arthur.”

“That’s...good. I couldn’t handle it if you somehow wanted anything from me too.” Arthur ran a tired hand over his face and Merlin’s stomach sank as he realised he _did_ want something from him, or at least his real employer did.

But he couldn’t think about that just now. Just now Arthur was standing up and sitting next to him on the sheetless mattress, putting a trusting hand on his knee and looking at him like he’d hung the sun and stars.

“I want to be with you, Merlin. On Monday I’m going to sign over the company to my uncle and I want to be with you,” he declared.

Merlin’s hands fell from his armpits into his lap as he went slack-jawed. “You...you do?” Arthur nodded. “And you mean that, about signing over the company? You’ll have nothing to do with it?”

“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it, Merlin. And no, I’ll still work there. I’m assuming they’ll give me my old job back considering I’m giving them a man actually equipped to run the place.”

That was perfect. That was just...If it wasn’t Arthur Cenred had to go after, Merlin was free. He could go back to his normal job in the IT department and have Arthur at the same time. It was perfect.

But Arthur suddenly looked concerned. “Yesterday you said you couldn’t though, even if you wanted to. Is that...? Do you still...?”

Merlin kissed him as reply. He threw his arms around Arthur’s neck and teased at Arthur’s lips with his tongue until Arthur’s opened up and let him in.

“I’ll take that as a firm yes,” Arthur said, smiling.

*

Merlin rubbed his eyes and tried to roll over, only to find that he couldn’t. Arthur’s arm was draped heavily across his body and the man was snoring softly into his shoulder. He looked too comfortable for Merlin to want to get up just yet.

Merlin yawned and rolled his ankles. He heard the bones crack and curled his toes to snap those as well. He wished he could stretch properly but that would require movement that was sure to wake Arthur.

He closed his eyes and let his thoughts drift back to last night. After they’d talked—and snogged a bit—Merlin had asked to get a proper look at Arthur’s artwork and Arthur was suddenly eager to show them off. He even gave Merlin a tour of his walls, explaining the meaning behind little doodles here and there, or how some of them were the product of boredom that turned into something much bigger. Then Merlin had _finally_ made the bed and they’d had magnificent sex.

There was really only one thing left to do. As soon as Merlin could bear to pull himself from Arthur’s side, he picked up Arthur’s arm and slipped out from under it, only to have his wrist caught in a strong grasp as he got up from the bed.

“ _Stay_ ,” Arthur groaned.

“I have to pee,” Merlin protested. “And I promise to come back with breakfast.”

Arthur relented. “Fine,” he mumbled into the pillow as he released Merlin’s wrist. “But hurry up.”

Merlin chuckled. “Yes, _sir_.” Arthur grunted at him.

Merlin checked the floor for his pants and trousers, which were half under the bed. He patted down the pockets to make sure his mobile was still there and once he found it was he slipped them on. He couldn’t find his shirt. It had been thrown carelessly somewhere in the rush to get it off.

It was actually almost eleven in the morning. Merlin went to the loo so he wasn’t lying about that part and dialled Cenred’s number. He answered on the second ring.

“Ah, Mr Emrys. You calling must mean you’ve finally found something.”

“Well, not exactly, sir. The situation has sort of changed.”

“And how is that?”

“I was right, sir, about Arthur not wanting the company. There—”

“That would explain the decline in sales.”

“Yes, exactly, it would. There’s another man, named Agravaine? I heard him talking to one of his employees about him. The man is his uncle and the company was originally going to be left to him until Uther changed it at the last minute.”

“Agravaine,” Cenred seemed to be tasting the name. “I assume this man has a last name?”

“I...didn’t manage to get that, sir. Even though it’s his uncle, I don’t think he’s a Pendragon. I don’t know his mother’s maiden name but I can easily get it—”

“No, no, there’ll be no need. Go on.”

“Right. Well. Just last night Arthur told me he was going to sign the company over to him. So there’s...there’s no reason for me to continue being his housecleaner, is there?”

“Hmm.” Cenred was doing it _again_ , taking his sweet time. Merlin looked at the clock on his mobile. If he didn’t get back to Arthur with breakfast soon, he’d have some explaining to do. He sat down on top of the toilet lid while he waited, bouncing his leg impatiently.

“Did you ever manage to gain access to his computer?” Cenred asked finally.

“Yes,” Merlin replied before he could think to lie. “I’ve hacked and cloned his email account and logged all his passwords for any websites he’s a member of. But that was child’s play. Like I said before, it was only the locked doors that were stopping me.”

“Excellent, excellent.”

“But what do we need any of that for now? If Arthur’s no longer the head of Pendragon Publishing, isn’t it Agravaine you want?”

“Arthur holds most of the company’s assets. He will always be a key figure if we’re to bring them down properly.”

“Okay...but is my job done? Can I go back to work in IT on Monday?” _Please, please, please say yes._

“I suppose you may. But I’d like to be able to keep tabs on him, just in case. Is there some kind of technology that lets you access his computer remotely?”

“I—Well. Yes. I mean, if you really think that’s necessary. But I’m telling you, this guy is perfect. Even his internet history is clean and he was stupid enough not to clear it,” Merlin lied to make up for his slip.

“I understand that. This would simply be for...leverage, should we find ourselves in a hard place. Surely it can’t be too hard to plant something there.”

“Like a virus?”

“Or something similar. If you really have cloned his email account, that could help a great deal.”

Merlin pinched the bridge of his nose. What did he have to do to get himself and Arthur as safe as possible from his stupid boss?

“Alright. I have access to his email at any time. I can just pull it up on my computer at home. But do I really have to plant something? Getting to his laptop the first time was hard enough. And I could always write an infiltrator program that’ll execute as soon as he opens the email. I don’t have to physically be here to plant any virus or anything else you might want to to sabotage their stupid company so can I please just _go_?” He got a bit whiny near the end but he’d had enough. He was definitely going to have to make up something to tell Arthur, like the toaster was malfunctioning.

“Well, if that’s the case then yes, by all means, remove yourself from Arthur’s employ. I look forward to seeing you on Monday, Mr Emrys.”

He hung up and Merlin let out a long sigh of relief. “God, _finally_.” He pocketed his mobile and opened the door. “Well fuck,” he said upon seeing Arthur standing there. “You...heard everything, didn’t you?”

Arthur looked the same way he had when he’d nearly strangled Elena and that was _not_ a look Merlin wanted to be on the wrong end of.

“The look on your face must mean yes,” he said when Arthur didn’t reply. Merlin wished Arthur wasn’t standing in the middle of the doorway so he could possibly escape. As it was, he had only a window as the other option and he valued the use of his legs.

Arthur ground his teeth so hard Merlin could hear it and it was with effort that Arthur spoke. “I’m going to give you two minutes to get out of my house, and when you get home you’re going to call me and tell me everything, do you understand?” Merlin nodded vigorously. “If you tell me in person I might just kill you. And as much as I hate you right now, I don’t actually want to hurt you.”

“I—” Merlin stopped when Arthur’s nostrils flared dangerously. “Two minutes. Right. I—Okay.”

Arthur stepped to the side and Merlin darted past. He’d already tried searching for his shirt and didn’t bother with it now. He got his keys from the kitchen and drove home shirtless.

*

“Shitshitshitshitshit.”

Of course things couldn’t go right. Of course Cenred wouldn’t be satisfied with Arthur stepping down and of course Arthur would find out right at that moment. Nothing ever went according to plan, not in real life, not like in programs.

“It’s okay,” Merlin told himself. “Just debug. Debug debug debug. It’s just a run-time error. Not like a...not like a null pointer exception.”

He just had to call Arthur, explain everything, and then...continue to hack his computer from afar so he could keep his job?

Merlin paced in the small confines of his room. “Okay. I still have a job. True. I did everything I was supposed to. Also true. Cenred doesn’t know I love Arthur. True. Arthur won’t hate me forever.” Merlin stopped. “Ugh. Probably false.” He resumed, biting the pad of his thumb. “If Arthur hates me forever, take up a new hobby. Possibly competitive chess. Else, marry Arthur.”

He stopped again, frowning. “Else if Arthur only hates me for a little while, promise to make it up to him by doing whatever kinky BDSM shit he seems to like.” He nodded, satisfied with that course of action, and started again. “So, given that Arthur forgives me...ask if I can keep ripping off his company? Fuck, too many variables.”

Merlin jumped when his mobile rang and startled him out of his processing. He looked at the caller id and wondered how Arthur got his number. Then he remembered he’d had to give him his information the first day.

“H-Hello?”

“Either you live remarkably far away or you’re stalling.”

“Um.”

“Talk. Now.”

So Merlin talked. He told Arthur about his mother and his small flat he could barely manage to afford. He told him about Cenred calling him to his office one day and telling him he’d have to start spying on the young Pendragon if he wanted to keep his job. He explained his frustrations with locked doors and how stupid it was for a millionaire not to have high tech security, though he supposed in this case it worked out in Arthur’s favour. He admitted to reading Arthur’s dream journal—to which Arthur growled menacingly and Merlin cowered in silence until Arthur barked for him to continue—and how he followed Arthur to pick up Elena and the restaurant.

He left what he found on Arthur’s laptop for last.

“Ohmygod,” Arthur said quietly. “Of course the one time I look up something out of curiosity is the time you see it.”

“Wait, so...you don’t like...?”

“I—Well, it’s—Why do I have to explain myself to you? I’m still angry at you, you know.”

“Hey, I told Cenred there was nothing there. I _protected_ you, in case you’ve forgotten. Can’t you at least tell me whether or not I would have been exposing the truth?”

“I don’t owe you anything, _Mer_ lin, if that’s even your real name.”

Merlin rolled his eyes even if Arthur couldn’t see him. “That’s my real name. Do you really think I’d make up something like ‘Merlin?’ But I guess you’re right. I’m glad you even understand _this_ much. You haven’t yelled. Yet. Please don’t.”

Arthur grumbled. “Yes, well. You were put in a tough situation and you _did_ protect me, or at least tried to, as you said. And you obviously fancy the pants off me because even a deceptive bastard like you can’t fake those looks you always give me.”

Merlin thought there might be hope after all. Arthur wouldn’t hate him forever: True.

“So _fine_ , I’ll tell you about the stupid... _thing_ ,” Arthur caved. “Yes, I like watching it, and yes, it turns me on like crazy, but I don’t do it myself and I never have. I just...I just like being tied up. Nothing...intense.” Arthur exhaled shortly, glad to have gotten the confession over with. “Okay?”

“Oh.” Merlin suddenly found it hard to swallow, picturing Arthur with his wrists cuffed to his headboard. “Yeah, okay. Thanks for, uh, sharing. I know I haven’t exactly done anything to earn your trust, so...Um.”

There was an awkward silence for a tense moment as neither of them knew what to say. Merlin began to pace again. He wanted to ask if everything was okay between them but was too nervous to ask .There was also still the matter of what he was going to do with Arthur’s computer.

“So...” Arthur finally broke the silence. “You can’t be a complete idiot if you’re sort of a computer genius. I did wonder what you meant when you said logic was your area of expertise.”

Merlin laughed nervously. “Eheheh, yeah...Though I wouldn’t call myself a genius. I’m just good with technology.”

“And hopeless with locked doors,” Arthur added. “You know I can’t let you continue to access my personal files, right? It’s illegal what Cenred has you doing.”

Merlin swallowed and stopped his pacing again to sit on the edge of his bed. “Yeah, I know.”

“We could call the police.” Merlin’s stomach fluttered at Arthur’s use of the word we. “We could put Cenred behind bars and you could keep your job.”

“But it was me who hacked you. Technically _I’m_ the one who broke the law, not him.”

“It won’t seem that way if I tell the police otherwise.”

“And what proof do we have of otherwise?”

“He _blackmailed_ you, Merlin—”

“And it worked. I did everything he asked.”

“Not everything. You didn’t tell him about my internet history.”

True. Merlin bit his lip. Arthur sounded grateful, but that didn’t help his situation any.

“I don’t know what to do, Arthur,” Merlin complained. “I can’t see any way out of this.”

They were silent again and then there was the sound of Arthur slapping his forehead. “Why don’t you just hack _him_ when you go back to work on Monday?”

“That sounds great in theory, but it’s a lot more difficult in practice.” Though Merlin was irked he hadn’t thought of that himself.

“How? How is it any different from snooping around on my laptop?”

“Because. There are other variables to consider. There’s the security cameras and the lock to his office and other people working there. I can’t just waltz in and break into his computer like I did with you.”

Arthur muttered to himself, “And if you’re anything like the IT guys at my office, you leave early and are never available when people actually need you.”

“I—Oi! I’m the head of the department. I work hard!”

“You must if someone as demanding as Cenred thought you were qualified enough for a job like spying on me.”

“I _am_ qualified. Just because there were a few errors, like falling in love with _you_ , doesn’t mean I didn’t execute it properly. I have the skills.”

“You—you what?”

“I have the skills.”

“No, before that.”

“I didn’t exec—Oh shut up, don’t make fun of me just because I talk tech when I’m nervous.”

“No, no, be _fore_ that. You said—I think you said—”

“Oh, fuck,” Merlin put his face in his palm. “No, I didn’t say that. I didn’t say anything.” That was just what Merlin needed, Arthur thinking he was some lovesick fool. He’d slept with the man all of twice—okay, maybe more than that if you count one long night of shagging—and they hadn’t even gotten around to saying they _like_ each other, let alone love.

“We’ll talk about it later,” Arthur said in a rush. “Right now, just listen. There’s got to be a way you can disable the security cameras. Staying late will take care of getting around other employees. Then you’ll just have to get past Cenred’s door.”

“Well...” Merlin _could_ tap into the security feed. He’d had to help wire the place when newer, more expensive cameras had been set up, so he knew the system. “I suppose. But it’s a huge risk.”

“A bigger risk than going undercover to exploit the Pendragon heir?” Arthur countered.

Merlin grunted. “Good point. Still, I don’t see how I’m going to get into Cenred’s office. His door requires an old-fashioned key as well.”

“Ah, but you know who carries all the keys, don’t you, Merlin?” Arthur sounded too smug for Merlin’s liking, and he could tell just from that that the prat had already devised the whole plan in his mind.

*

“So how long have you worked here?” Merlin asked, taking a bite of his sandwich.

The custodian—Will, he’d said his name was—wiped away the Coke dribbling from his mouth with the back of his hand. “Almost five years. You’ve been here about three, right?”

Merlin nodded in lieu of speaking, as he was still chewing. He swallowed and said, “How’d you know?”

Will shrugged. “I know pretty much everyone here. Us custodians are like the silent observers.” He wiggled his fingers and smiled mischievously. “We watch from the shadows. And empty the rubbish bins while we’re at it.”

Merlin chuckled. “Remind me not to get on your bad side. We could have a proletariat revolution on our hands.” He mentally smacked himself. “Shit. Sorry. That was sort of insulting, wasn’t it?”

Will waved it off. “I know you didn’t mean it like that. You’re not like the other employees. They’re too good to have lunch with the same people that scrub the toilets.”

Having had to scrub his fair share of toilets in the past couple months, Merlin could relate. He had a sudden appreciation for what the custodial staff did around the office. He felt sort of bad for taking advantage of Will now. They could have been great friends.

Reminded of his true task, Merlin’s eyes glanced at the keyring on Will’s belt. It wasn’t that securely attached; easy to casually snake a hand around and slide into his own pocket.

“That’s the thing with us techies. We’re not normal people,” Merlin explained. “Easier to deal with computers than humans. Computers generally do what you tell them. Humans have to be mollycoddled.”

Will shrugged again. “I don’t know anything about computers. But I get what you mean. I have a cat and I’d rather curl up and watch telly with her than a human any day.” He blushed at the confession but didn’t take it back.

“You don’t...have a lot of friends then?” Way to make Merlin feel even more horrible.

“Well...” Will directed his gaze ahead at his fellow custodian wiping the glass window repeatedly. The old man’s eyes were cloudy and his mouth hung open so that he drooled a bit. “There’s Simmons, but I don’t think he really knows who I am anymore. Oi, Simmons!” he called and waved an arm.

Simmons raised his eyebrows and made a “Huh?” expression through the glass. He shifted briefly into recognition and tried to walk over to Will, only to be stopped by the window he’d been cleaning. His eyes clouded over again and he shook his head, then began wiping the glass again, having forgotten everything.

“I see what you mean,” Merlin muttered with a small laugh.

“I honestly don’t know why they haven’t fired him yet. Maybe he’s so far gone that he doesn’t realise whether they pay him or not. Maybe he’s free labour.”

“I definitely wouldn’t put it past Cenred,” Merlin commented.

“Ah. Now there’s a fellow that could be taken down a notch or two.”

Merlin quirked an eyebrow, suddenly more interested. Perhaps... “You don’t like him then? Cenred?”

“Is there anyone around here who does?” Will replied, looking at Merlin as if he’d asked if people thought the sky was green. “He fancies himself all-powerful. I can’t count the number of times he’s told me to go back over the loo because I’d ‘missed a spot.’”

“So if someone were in a position to possibly get him fired...”

“Just how does one ‘fire’ the owner of the company?”

“Oh, well, if, say, there were illegal things found on his computer or if it was leaked that he was embezzling every so often...”

Will caught on. He looked around quickly and leaned in closer, lowering his voice. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

Merlin wet his chapped lips before continuing. “I’m saying if someone had keys to Cenred’s office, they could gain access to his computer and make life very unpleasant for him.” He glanced meaningfully down to Will’s keyring and back again.

A devious smile crept across Will’s face.

*

“That’s not a very good photo of him,” Arthur stated from behind the newspaper he was reading as he nibbled his toast.

Merlin rolled his eyes. “He’s being led away in handcuffs. I don’t imagine it _would_ be.”

“He looks furious too,” Arthur ignored Merlin’s remark. “Pity. Though it’s his own fault for keeping child pornography on his work laptop. I mean, really, if you’re going to harbour some embarrassing illegal secret, at least do it on your personal computer at home.” He peeked over the top of the newspaper and Merlin noticed by the crinkle of his eyes that he was grinning.

“Apparently common sense isn’t all that common,” he said back and smiled a bit as well.

“Apparently.”

Merlin walked around the worktop and plopped onto the stool next to Arthur’s, so close their shoulders touched. “So. Now that my job is secure and your privacy restored, any chance we could get around to talking?”

Arthur folded the paper and set it aside, then took a sip of orange juice. “Sure. Go ahead.”

Merlin’s lips turned downward in an almost-frown. Of course Arthur wasn’t going to make this easy. Nothing with Arthur ever was.

“Well, you know I...sort of, kind of, love you. In a way.”

Arthur put his chin in his palm and turned his full attention to Merlin, nodding and clearly amused. “Mmhmm.”

“So if you’ve any response to that, I’m all ears,” Merlin threw his hands up. “I know you have admirers, but it can’t be every day someone professes their love to you.”

Arthur looked down and took another long gulp of orange juice. “You know,” he began, “after that first fantastic shag, I thought ‘I could love this man.’ And wouldn’t you know, that scared the shit out of me. Part of me was relieved when we got into a bit of a row and I thought maybe that’d be the end of it. But then the whole night and next day I couldn’t stop _thinking_ about you. I tried—and failed, spectacularly, I might add—to distract myself with Mithian. You know how _that_ went.”

“Yeah.” Merlin nodded.

“After that, after I gave up on trying to please everyone but myself, I thought it again. ‘I could love this man.’ And then I heard you in the loo that morning, and it hurt, it hurt _so much_ because I think by that point I had already started to love you, at least a little bit.”

Merlin’s chest grew heavy. Arthur’s face had looked like pure hatred that morning, but of course there had been pain beneath it. Arthur was always good at masking his feelings.

“And now?” Merlin asked hopefully. “Do you still think you could love me?”

Arthur raised his eyes to stare deep into Merlin’s and placed his hand over Merlin’s knuckles. “I do. I love you, Merlin.”

Merlin breathed a happy sigh of relief. “Oh thank goodness.”

“Now, will you please let me finish breakfast in peace?” Arthur said, with mock irritation.

Confident in their relationship now, Merlin said with a smirk, “Only if you let me tie you up afterwards.”

Arthur blushed scarlet and nearly choked on his toast. “D-Deal,” he replied, handing Merlin the key to his room.

**Author's Note:**

> [Here's the song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVssCPuEzbM) Merlin was listening to when he tried to seduce Arthur because The Wombats are awesome and yeah.


End file.
